The Best Night Of Your Life
by Debwood-1999
Summary: After her boyfriend cancels their date, Anna volunteers to babysit for the Irvine-Hardy's. It was SUPPOSED to be a quiet, boring night watching TV with three kids... My version of Adventures In Babysitting
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Yet another story that blindsided me!:) This one is my version of Adventures In Babysitting, featuring my OC as the babysitter.**

**SYNOPSIS: After her boyfriend cancels their date, Anna volunteers to babysit for the Irvine-Hardy's. It was SUPPOSED to be a quiet, boring night watching TV with three kids...**

**DISCLAIMERS: Not mine (except for Anna and her grandparents) Chase and Tempest Irvine-Hardy are borrowed from Wrestlefan 4 and Dark Kanenite with permission.**

_**The Greatest Night of Your Life**_

_**By Debwood-1999**_

_**Chapter One**_

"_Well I'm just outa school, Like I'm real real cool, Gotta dance like a fool, Got the message that I gotta be, A wild one, Ooh yeah I'm a wild one, Gotta break it loose, Gonna keep 'em movin' wild, Gonna keep a swingin' baby. I'm a real wild child."_

Anna Hollenbeck bounced around her bedroom floor to the beat of the old Iggy Pop song that blasted through her iHome speakers. She was getting dressed and ready for her six-month anniversary date with her steady boyfriend, Mike Mizanin. It was going to be a fantastic night, she just knew it.

Anna was seventeen, blonde, and a senior in high school who lived with her grandparents (which she didn't mind, because her grandparents were young enough to still be cool) following the divorce of her mom and dad. Her grandma was cool enough to help her pick out a nice-looking outfit from Kohl's, and her grandfather was cool enough to not lay down a set-in-stone curfew. Which was even cooler, considering that her date with Mike could go longer than anticipated.

A knock on the door interrupted Anna's impromptu dance routine. "Yeah?"

"It's your grandma. Are you decent?"

Anna turned off the music. "Sure. Come on in."

Anna's grandma stepped in and nodded in approval at her granddaughter's outfit. "You look lovely. That dress is very becoming."

A smirk crossed Anna's lips. "Well, you did help me pick it out." It was a mock layered dress, with a scoop neckline, a wide black belt, and a zigzag print cardigan in cool pastels. Teamed up with a pair of black flats, simple jewelry, and a touch of makeup, it was the perfect date outfit.

Anna's grandma spent the next few minutes flittering around like a pixie, touching a blonde curl here, smoothing out a crease there, straightening out her neckline and checking to make sure her perfume wasn't too strong or too weak. "You look lovely, Sweetheart. Mike is gonna be busy trying to fend off the other boys."

"You really think so?"

"I know so."

Anna glanced out her window in time to see her boyfriend pull up to the house in his car and honk the horn. "Oh crap, he's here!" she exclaimed, picking her purse up off the bed.

"Language, Anna," her grandmother called out.

Anna didn't hear her grandmother's gentle admonishment. "Okay, Anna, just relax," she instructed herself as she rushed down the stairs, putting her earrings in as she went. "Tonight is going to be the greatest night of your life."

In the foyer, Anna heard her grandfather tell her, "Call us if you're gonna be late."

"I will, my phone's on." she answered back, unlocking the front door and pulling it open. Sure enough, there was Mike on the doorstep. But instead of looking spiffed up and fancy, he looked rumpled and grubby in jeans and a t-shirt. "Mike, hi!"

"Hi Anna."

Suddenly, Anna felt self conscious as she glanced down at her carefully chosen outfit. "Uhhmm...I'm a little overdressed."

Mike shook his head. "No, it's just uh, I have to cancel. My little sister got sick and my parents are going out tonight, so I've been drafted to look after her. I was going to Walgreen's to pick up some medicine, and I thought I'd swing by and tell you. I'm really sorry."

Anna looked visibly disappointed. "Oh, well…I could come over and help out. We could make some chicken soup or something."

Mike shook his head. "No, no. You don't want to be there. She's contagious. I don't want you to get sick. Look, we'll do the French restaurant thing next week, okay?"

"Okay. When?"

Mike pressed his lips into a tight line. "I don't know…Friday…Saturday. I gotta get going…my sister's waiting for me." A pause. "You're upset about tonight, aren't you?"

Anna blurted out "No!" but then reconsidered. "Well, yeah, a little. But I understand."

Mike grinned. "You know Anna, girls like you come along once in a lifetime."

Flattered, Anna smiled and moves to kiss him, but he stopped her. "Oh! Contagious. Here. I'll kiss you." With that, Mike left Anna standing in the doorway after a peck on the cheek.

~~~BABY~~~

_Later, in Anna's bedroom..._

"Contagious?" AJ Lee tossed the magazine she was reading aside and climbed off her best friend's bed. Anna had just told AJ what had happened.

Anna, still in her dress, flopped back onto the bed. "Yeah, that's what he said."

"He's lying," AJ snorted.

Anna glared in shock at her best friend. "AJ!"

"God, I don't know why you're making such a big deal about him."

"Because," Anna fired back. "Mike's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Anna, he's the _only _thing that's ever happened to you." AJ continued to pace. "That's why we have to get out of this place. It's like a Dairy Queen. You only get one flavor. Of course, it's all variations on a theme, but it's still only one flavor when it all comes down to it. "

Anna laughed. She didn't want to admit it, but AJ was right. Sure her best friend was a couple tacos short of a combo plate, but she was a pretty smart girl. "AJ, you know, I asked you over here to cheer me up. Now I feel worse."

"Oh Anna, I'm sorry." AJ sat back down the bed. "I'm just in a really bad mood. My parents are driving me crazy. My stepmom is such a pain. If I don't get out of the house I'm gonna spike her Diet Pepsi with Visine."

"Don't do that!" Anna said laughingly, before she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

Anna's grandma entered. "Anna? Hi AJ."

AJ nodded. "Hi."

"Hi Grandma," Anna sighed.

"Anna, I just got off the phone with Chris Irvine-Hardy. He wants to know if you can baby sit for him and Matt tonight."

Anna and AJ shared a look. After a pregnant pause, Anna said, "No, tell him I can't."

"Why not?"

Anna turned back to AJ. "Wait, do you want to do something?"

AJ shook her head. "I have to go home."

_No use fibbing, _thought Anna. "Because I want to stay home and be depressed."

"Oh, go sit for the Irvine-Hardy's!" AJ fired back, punching her best friend in the arm in jest. "That'll depress anyone."

Anna groaned. "I'm too old to baby sit."

~~~BABY~~~

Anna's grandmother didn't buy her excuse, and an hour later (after a change of clothes), Anna was behind the wheel of her grandmother's Roadmaster station wagon on her way to the Irvine-Hardy's.

~~~BABY~~~

_At the Irvine-Hardy Residence..._

Nine year-old Tempest Rose Irvine-Hardy skated into the kitchen, where her older brother was making some macaroni. "Hey, Chase! Guess what?"

Tempest's brother, a fifteen-year old carbon copy of his father, shook his head at his little sister. "Mod is gonna kill you when he catches you wearing your skates in the house. And take off that stupid Thor helmet!"

"Thor's awesome, and Mod's gotta catch me first. Guess what?"

Chase took his bowl of macaroni out of the microwave. The bowl was a little too hot for him to handle properly, so he balanced it on the tips of his fingers as he tried to bring it to the counter. "I don't care, wing head."

Tempest smirked. "Mod got Anna to baby sit for me."

"_Anna?!"_ Chase jumped in surprise. The too hot bowl of macaroni slipped out of his grasp and fell on the counter, and macaroni spilled everywhere. "OW! Temper!"

Tempest laughed at her older brother and skated off. "Bye!"

Chase rushed out of the kitchen, the mess abandoned for the moment. He could hear a car pulling up at the curb and rushed up the stairs, climbing over his younger sister as he went. "Temper, will you get out of the way?! Anna's here!"

In the upstairs bathroom, Chase gave himself a once-over and smirked. "Lookin' good, Mongoose McQue—oh, crap! NO! I can't have a zit on my face now! And it's not ready to pop! CRAP!"

Frantically, Chase pawed through one of the bathroom drawers, and then fumbled through the medicine cabinet in search of something to get rid of the blemish. His search was unsuccessful, and he shut the medicine cabinet door and charged out of the bathroom as Anna rang the front doorbell.

"Temper!" Chase shouted as he rushed down the hall to his sister's room. _"Temper!"_

~~~BABY~~~

Chris Irvine-Hardy, dressed appropriately for a dressy/casual affair, opened the front door to let in the babysitter. "Anna, hi. Come on in."

"Hi, thanks."

"Anna, thanks a million for doing this," Chris smiled in relief as he ushered Anna down the front hallway. "I'm really sorry about the short notice."

"Oh, it's no problem. I'm glad I could help out," Anna shrugged, her bland smile concealing the disappointment about her canceled date.

~~~BABY~~~

Chase shook his head as he looked around his sister's bedroom. Tempest was totally _ga-ga_ over Thor from _The Avengers _movie, as evidenced by the posters and pictures of the superhero that were pasted all over the walls. She had a Thor plushie on her bed that she slept with every night. She'd even gone so far as to pester her Mod and Dad for Thor bedclothes.

"Temper, did you take my Clearasil again?"

Tempest looked up from the floor, where she was sitting and coloring yet another picture of her favorite superhero. "I ran out of brown," she said simply.

"Great! How am I supposed to cover up my zits?"

Tempest held out a tube of paint. "You want some orange?"

"I can't use paint!"

Tempest ignored her brother's outburst and held up her picture. "What do you think? I think it's my best one yet. Look, I got the sunrays, the cape, and the helmet, and…"

Chase was stunned. "Great, you wasted all my Clearasil on another picture of Thor?"

Tempest shrugged. "Thor's my hero."

"Thor's a flamer," Chase snorted.

Tempest set her picture down. "He is not."

Chase couldn't resist. "Yeah, he is," he fired back, a devilish smirk crossing his face.

"He is not!"

Chase leaned up against the doorjamb. "Thor's a complete flamer."

"Take it back, Chase!"

"No."

Tempest jumped to her feet. "Take it back!" she shouted, lunging for her big brother, who stepped easily out into the hallway. Her helmet slid off, revealing a tied back spill of dark curls. "Take back what you said about Thor!"

Chase snorted in laugher and ran down the hall, with his little sister in hot pursuit. Tempest stomped after her brother, who charged down the stairs and nearly fell on one of his sister's skates. "OW!"

Tempest shouted, "Take it back, Chase! Take back what you said about Thor!"

Chase picked up the skate. "You're gonna kill someone with one of these things."

"Take back what you said about Thor!"

Chase shook his head, smiling and unaware that Anna was behind him. "No."

Tempest suddenly found a way to end the fight. "If you don't take it back, Chase, I'll tell Anna about all those love poems you write about her."

Chase paled, and suddenly grew serious. "All right, Temper, I'm sorry. Thor's not a flamer."

Tempest smiled. "Thank you." She waved. "Hi, Anna."

"Hi," Anna smiled as the younger Irvine-Hardy ran back to her room.

For a full minute, Anna waited for Chase to turn around. It was no secret to Anna that Chase Michael Irvine-Hardy had a crush on her. Of course, she was a senior, and he was merely a sophomore, so he didn't really have a chance. Still, it was cute and funny, and Anna got a nice laugh out of watching Chase make a fool out of himself whenever she was around.

Finally, Anna decided to end the teasing (for the moment, anyway). "Hi."

Chase turned around and stammered. "Uhh...uhhh...Hi. You didn't just hear what we…"

"Oh…no."

"Good." A pause. "Boy you look great. I mean really…your hair…your eyes…"

Anna smirked. "What about them?"

"Oh, um…they're so well placed," Chase stammered.

"Chase, relax," Anna laughed.

"Oh, relax...uhhhmm. Take your coat?" Chase tried to help Anna out of her gray car coat like a gentleman, but he pulled the garment off rather quickly, and Anna stumbled backwards and had to catch herself. "Oh sorry. Sorry."

"It's cool. Thank you."

"Boy, this is a really cool coat. No way is this from Sears or anything like that. This is way too cool."

"Thanks. It was my Uncle Toby's."

Chase nodded. "He's got great taste."

"He died last year."

Chase tossed the coat aside in surprise, as Chris bounded down the stairs.

"C'mon, Junior," he admonished his oldest, ruffling his hair. "Stop fawning all over the babysitter." A pause. "Anna, why don't you come on into the kitchen so we can hammer everything out..."

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I'm pleasantly surprised at how quickly this chapter fell into place. In case you're wondering, Mod is an abbreviation for My Other Dad. Matt's the dad in this one, and Chris is the "mom," I guess. Chase and Tempest were originally twins, but I thought it would be fun to age Chase so that he's closer in age to the babysitter. **

**BTW, we'll meet Matt in the next chapter, as well as Chase's best friend, Phil Brooks. There's gonna be a nice little psuedo-Jeripunk vibe in this one.**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	2. Chapter 2

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Can't think of anything. So there! LOL**

_**Chapter Two**_

In the kitchen, Anna sat down on at the kitchen table and greeted Matt, who had followed her and the others.

A disapproving look crossed Chris' face as he saw the mess Chase made on the counter. Before he could say anything, Tempest pointed at her brother.

"Chase did it," she tattled.

"Chase, clean it up."

"Sure Mod," Chase answered, giving Tempest a dirty look as he went to the sink for the cleaning supplies. He got to work, flashing Anna a smile as he went.

Chris took a list off the fridge door and handed it to the babysitter. "All right, Anna, I've left some notes for you. We're going to be at a reception at the Associates Center. I'll leave this right here with you," he said, as Anna nodded. "Okay. Tempest is not to wear her skates in the house.

Matt sat down at the table and pulled his daughter onto his lap. "Now Temper, Anna is in charge, okay?"

The blue-eyed little girl version of Matt nodded. "Sure. Can we go to Menchie's?"

Matt thought for a moment. "Well, that's fine. But don't go to late, okay?" A pause. "Now Chase (who gave Anna another cocky smile, which resulted in an eyeroll from his crush) is going to be staying at his friend Phil's tonight so you won't have to worry about him. Now this one (meaning Tempest) is just getting over a very bad cough."

"It's been over for two weeks," Tempest complained, as Chris took a bottle of cough medicine out of the fridge.

Chris explained, while glancing at his watch. "So we want her to take some of this. Give her a spoonful in about an hour, and another spoonful before she goes to bed." He spotted Chase eating a Nestle Crunch bar and plucked it out of his hands. "Chase, don't eat that. You have zits all over your face."

"Mod!" Chase whined in horror as Anna and Tempest busted up laughing. "Jesus!"

"Language, Junior!" Chris admonished, and the girls laughed harder.

~~~BABY~~~

"Have a good time, guys!" shouted Chase as he, Anna and Tempest stood on the front porch to see Matt and Chris off.

"We should be home by one," Matt assured Anna and her charges.

"Take good care of my baby," Chris added.

Anna hugged the little girl, who'd found her Thor helmet and now had it back on her head. "I'll guard her with my life. Bye!"

Chase added, "Bye." He and the others waved as his parents drove off.

~~~BABY~~~

"Chase, you need to finish cleaning up that mess," Anna said, as she reached over and plucked the Nestle bar out of Chase's hand. Again.

Chase opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by a knock. "That's the backdoor," he said, sprinting down the hall to the kitchen. "I'll get it."

Tempest dragged her babysitter by the hand into the living room. "Come on Anna, let's go watch some TV."

~~~BABY~~~

Chase busted up laughing as his best friend made a face against the glass on the back door. He thought about leaving him out there and laughing some more, but he reconsidered and opened the door.

"Look are you spending the night at my place or what?" was the first thing that Phil Brooks said.

"No, not any more," Chase said, just as bluntly before trying to shut the door.

Phil wedged himself between the door and the doorframe. A knowing twinkle was in his green eyes. "Anna's here, isn't she?" he smirked.

"No."

"Yes, she is. I saw that big boat she drives to school parked at the curb. That's why I'm sleeping here tonight."

Chase folded his arms across his chest. "I don't think so."

"Oh, come on." Phil paused and stepped inside. "Did you get her clothes off yet?"

"Don't be crude. Now go home."

Phil snorted and looked at Chase like he'd just sprouted horns. "Oh listen to you. You fall in love and suddenly you're a classy guy."

"I'm not in love!" Chase snapped.

"What's she wearing?"

Chase sighed in exasperation and tried to usher Phil back outside. "Clothes! Now get out."

Phil stopped him. "Wait! You've got to see this month's Playboy because there's a girl in it and she looks exactly like Anna."

"You gotta be kidding me!"

"I'm serious!" Phil exclaimed, as Chase shoved him out the door. "She's got these huge ti-"

Phil's sentence was cut short as Chase shut the door and pulled the shade over it.

Chase slunk back into the living room, where Tempest sat on the couch next to Anna's bag. The little girl looked around slyly before she reached in and pulled out a college brochure. Behind her, Phil was outside, peering through the window and sticking out his tongue.

Anna sat knelt on the floor in front of the TV. "Who was at the door?"

"Stray dog." Chase glanced over his shoulder to see Phil at the window. Quickly, he went over and shut the curtains.

Anna caught Tempest thumbing through the brochure. "What are you reading?"

Tempest glanced up from the brochure. "Are you going to go to college?"

"Huh? Oh, great." Anna got up from the floor and took the book out of Tempest's hands. "Thanks, Grandma," she sighed under her breath as she put the brochure back.

Chase rushed over to the other window in the living room and shut that one as well. "You're going to college?"

" No," Anna shook her head.

"Thank God."

Tempest adjusted her Thor helmet. "Calm down, Chase."

Annoyed, Chase flopped down next to Tempest on the couch and smacked her on the arm. Tempest returned the gesture.

"Guys! Don't make me play referee!" Anna warned her charges, just as the phone rang. "Hold on a second. I have to answer this." Under her breath, she said, "Maybe it's Mike." She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

It was a phone operator. "Will you accept a collect call from AJ?"

"AJ? Uh...okay. Sure."

"Anna! It's AJ?"

"AJ?"

"Anna!"

"AJ, what's wrong?"

"Anna! I'm in trouble!"

Anna giggled in spite of herself. "AJ, you're always in trouble."

"No! I'm really in trouble! I did it!"

"You spiked her Diet Pepsi with Visine?"

"NO! I ran away from home!" In the phone booth at the bus station, AJ bobbed and weaved around nervously while a homeless man peered through the glass.

"You what?" Anna exclaimed into the phone, jumping off the couch. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the bus station downtown."

"AJ! Look, just don't go anywhere."

"I can't! I don't have any money. I spent it all on the cab here. Anna, I need help." AJ jumped as the homeless man banged on the phone booth.

Anna smirked. "No kidding."

"Anna, If I take a cab to the Irvine-Hardy's do you think you could pay for it."

"Oh no, AJ. That's going to be like forty dollars. I don't have forty dollars."

"Well, can you pick me up?" AJ squeaked as the homeless man banged on the glass again.

"I can't, AJ. I'm babysitting."

"Anna I can't call anyone else. My dad doesn't know…he'd kill me if he found out." The homeless man banged on the door again. Anna, I'm begging you. It's really scary here. I've just seen 3 people shoot up, a bald Chinese lady with no pants on, and there's the old guy outside who wants his bedroom slippers-"

The homeless man pounded on the door one more time. "Hey! Get out of my house!"

Angrily, AJ opened the door and shoved his slippers and a knapsack out of the phone booth. "Here! You just moved!" She paused. "Anna, please hurry up and get here!"

"AJ, I've got my grandma's car. I can't drive it into the city."

AJ turned around and squeaked in fear. "Oh my God! There's a man in a trenchcoat with a gun! Get me the hell out of here!"

"AJ, look…just hang up and sit down! Don't move. I'll be there in half an hour."

"Oh please hurry. I think he's going to kill someone, maybe me!" AJ squealed before she hung up.

Back at the Irvine-Hardys, Anna hung up the phone and began to pace back and forth. "I don't believe this. I do not…"

Chase, who was looking at some of Anna's stuff, asked, "Who's Mike? Is he your boyfriend?"

"Yes. Uh, listen guys I have to go downtown. Chase, will you please watch Temper?"

Tempest shook her head. "No way! What if the house explodes?"

"The house is not going to explode."

"You leave him here and it will."

"I will be gone an hour, there and back. That's it, okay?" Anna went to get her coat, and the Irvine-Hardy kids followed her.

Chase asked, "You guys go steady or what?"

"What?"

"Do you?"

"Yes!" Anna threw her coat on and glared at the kids. "Are you two listening to me?"

Tempest had a stern look on her little face. "My Mod is paying you good money to watch me."

"Well Chase can watch you."

"Why would my mod pay you good money for Chase to watch me?"

"Tempest…"

"Why can't we just all go?"

"Because…"

Chase interjected, "Do you like him a lot?"

"No…yes."

Chase smirked. "Well which is it?"

Anna huffed, "Yes, I like him a lot. No, Temper your parents would die if they found out I took you into the city."

"They'd die if they found out you left me here alone with him," Tempest fired back.

"Well who's going to tell them?" Chase and Tempest shared a smile, and Anna realized that they now had her over a barrel. "Anybody have to go to the bathroom?"

Chase and Tempest grinned at their babysitter. "Nope!"

~~~BABY~~~

"Come on, let's go!" Anna ushered the kids out the front door and towards her car. "Now if anybody asks we went for ice cream." She unlocked her door and was about to get in when she was aware of someone in her personal space.

"Road trip?"

Anna squealed in surprise and spun around. "Jesus!"

Phil, grinning like a Cheshire cat, walked over. "Where are you going?"

"Downtown," Tempest piped up.

"Cool! The city?"

"Tempest!" Anna snapped at her charge.

Phil leaned up against the station wagon. "Hey, can I go?"

"No, Phil!" Chase snapped "Go home."

Anna cocked her head. "Who is this kid?"

Tempest giggled, "Stray dog."

"Phil Brooks." Phil straightened up and shook Anna's hand. "And you're Anna Hollenbeck, right?"

"Phil, go home!" Chase snarled.

Phil didn't hear him. "You must be a great babysitter."

Anna didn't hear Phil. "Chase, what is he talking about?" Chase shrugged.

Phil continued, undaunted. "Matt & Chris must really trust you to take little kids into the city alone."

Tempest smiled. "Yeah! Isn't it great?!"

"It is so great," Phil said, as he began to walk away, "That I'm going to get my dad to talk to the Irvine-Hardy's about you."

Chase groaned. "Oh, stop him."

"And then maybe you can baby-sit for me…"

"Anna, stop him!" shouted Chase.

"…and then maybe we can drive off to New York or something just for kicks."

"Anna!"

Anna smacked the hood of her car. "Phil!"

"What d'ya think?"

Anna glanced over to Chase. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Get in the car and run him over," Tempest suggested.

Chase answered, "Let him come."

Anna turned to Chase's smart-ass friend, who was already on the sidewalk. "Phil!"

"Sorry, can't talk, gotta run."

"Phil!" snapped Anna. "Will you just get in the car?"

Phil pumped his fist in triumph and grinned as he climbed into the back seat of the car.

Once everyone was situated, Anna warned her passengers, "Now Chase, Phil, I swear if you give me any grief over the next sixty minutes I swear to God I'll kill you. Dead. Murdered. Stabbed."

Phil cocked an eyebrow. "Raped?"

Anna sighed and shook her head as she started the car. "I am too old for this crap."

Phil snorted in laughter and Chase smacked the back of his head.

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: For some reason, my OC drives cars that seem much too big for her to handle. She's either behind the wheel of a van, an enormous SUV, or some really big monstrosity made by General Motors. In this one, she's driving a 1995 Buick Roadmaster station wagon.**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	3. Chapter 3

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I love days like this at work, where you don't do anything but get paid to sit on your ass. If you're reading _Into The Dark, _I put the next to the last chapter up. I'm putting this one up today too, if I can bang it out before the end of my workday.**

_**Chapter Three**_

"Mike what?" Chase asked as Anna steered the wagon along the freeway through evening traffic. Tempest was fiddling with the radio, and Phil occupied his time by kicking the back of Anna's seat.

Anna arched an eyebrow. "Mike what what?"

"Mike what what what?" Phil chimed in, shaking his head in confusion. "What are we talking about?"

Chase decided to be a little more direct. "What's his last name?"

Anna sighed. "Mizanin. Are you writing a book, Chase?"

Phil sat up straight in his seat and widened his eyes. _"Mike Mizanin! _Do you know him?"

"They go out," Chase pointed out to his buddy.

"He's got a red Camaro, right?" Phil wondered.

Anna couldn't help but chuckle, and ask, "Oh gee Phil, are you a gear head and a sex fiend?" Chase snorted in laughter, earning him a dirty look from Phil. "Anyway, a lot of people have red Camaros."

"Yeah," Phil fired back. "But do a lot of people have the license plate that reads _AWESOME?"_

Anna grinned. "That's Mike."

"He's the guy that beat me up last summer for touching his car!" exclaimed Phil. He paused, and then added, "Which I didn't do."

"That was him?" Chase gasped.

Phil nodded. "That was him."

Anna looked genuinely shocked. "Mike wouldn't do that."

"Yes he would," Phil shot back.

"He would not!"

"Yes he would. He did! He kicked my ass!" He smirked. "You guys wanna see the footprint?"

"NO!" shouted Anna, along with Chase and his sister.

Tempest pointed towards the skyline. "Hey, look! That's where Thor lives."

Anna kept her eyes on the road. "Thor?"

Tempest nodded. "Well, all the superhero's live in the city. Spiderman, Daredevil, and Captain America. But Thor's the best. He fights the forces of darkness." Picking up her toy Thor hammer, she announced in her little girl voice, "Forces of darkness beware!"

Anna grinned. _It could be worse, _she thought. _She could be all ga-ga over Justin Bieber._

~~~BABY~~~

"...So the baby sitter goes upstairs, and the sound keeps getting louder. Scrape, scrape, scrape," Anna said to Tempest, as she listened with big eyes at the scary story. In the backseat, Phil pulled a Playboy magazine out from under his hoodie. The model on the cover looked just like Anna, with a bigger chest.

"Check this out," Phil whispered to his buddy, opening up the magazine. "Looks just like her."

Anna continued her story. "The baby sitter stops at the kids room. She reaches for the doorknob. Her hand is trembling. Her heart is racing. Sweat pours down her face. She opens the door. And the kids are safely in their beds."

Phil snorted. "I'd like to be safe in _her_ bed."

Anna furrowed her brow. "What are you guys doing back there?"

"Uh...nothing," Chase stammered as he grabbed the Playboy, rolled down the window and tossed it out.

"Hey!" Phil cuffed Chase on the back of his head. "That was my dad's, stupid!"

"You shouldn't have brought it along, dumbass!" Chase snarled. "God."

Tempest turned to her babysitter. "So what happens?"

Anna coughed, and then continued. "Okay, but see when the baby sitter looks more closely at the kids she sees…they don't have any faces!"

Tempest squeaked. "Oh my god!"

"Just a pool of mushy goo."

"Like Spaghetti O's?"

"Spaghetti O's with meatballs."

Tempest made a face and squeaked, "Oh, yuck!" as Phil began making faces at Chase.

"The baby sitter screams," Anna continued, "And she turns to run, but there's this big giant hairy guy standing right in front of her. And he raises his right arm, and there's a big metal hook instead of a hand, and the hook goes to the baby sitters face…" Anna made a claw out of her right hand and waved it in front of Tempests' face. "Scrape, scrape, scrape."

At that moment, Chase leaned forward and grabs Tempest. She screamed. Just as she did, there was a loud BANG! as one of the tires blew out.

"OH, NO!" Anna exclaimed, her heart racing.

"All right!" Tempest shouted, as the wagon began to swerve. "This is great!"

Chase shouted, "Anna! Pull over!"

"Which way?" Anna shouted.

"To the right," Chase instructed, as Phil began laughing. "Over to the right."

Anna glared at Phil. "This is not funny!" she said, as she wove through three lanes of traffic to get to the breakdown lane.

"Hold it steady," Chase instructed his babysitter. "Pull over. Pull over."

"I am pulling over!" Anna fired back as she brought the car to a stop on the service road and threw it in Park.

Tempest grinned. "That was fun! Can we do that again?"

The kids climbed out and laughed as Anna came around from the driver's side. Sure enough, it was a flat tire on the right passenger's side. A sigh escaped Anna's lips as she unlocked the wagon's tailgate and opened it. A shocked expression crossed her face as Chase glanced over her shoulder.

"Uh, Anna...where's the spare?"

Anna shook her head. "I don't know."

"Maybe it's on the car," Phil smirked as Anna and the Irvine-Hardy kids all gave him a dirty look. "Ya think?"

Anna was running out of patience with Chase's smart-ass friend. "Okay, we are going to flag somebody down and we'll go buy a tire," she announced, as she walked to the front of the Roadmaster. "I've got my checkbook…" she continued, before she made a sudden realization. "My purse!" Anna yanked open the passenger's door and realized that she didn't have her purse. "Oh dammit!" she exclaimed, slamming the door shut. "I forgot my purse." Pacing, she moaned, "I don't have any money. I don't have my license."

Phil couldn't stop himself. "Did you forget your purse?"

Anna turned on her heel and threw Phil a look that was loaded with darts. "Listen you little punkass…"

Phil turned to Chase, undaunted. "She's great."

"Hey wait!" Chase reached in his pocket. "I've got some money." After a little fumbling around, he pulled out some money and handed it to his babysitter.

Anna sniffed. "Oh what, five dollars. You don't have any money. You're a kid for crying out loud!" she exclaimed, as Chase looked a little shocked at the outburst.

Phil smacked Chase on the arm. "She's right, you're a kid for crying out loud. You don't have any money."

Chase gave Phil a look that could peel paint. "See all that traffic on the highway? Why don't you go out there and play?"

Before Phil could think of a snappy comeback, a large diesel truck pulled up behind the station wagon. On the front of the truck was a plate with the initials DCR and a small sign that read _Rhodes. _The kids jumped in surprise.

"Everybody stay behind me!" Tempest instructed the others.

A young man in a jumper climbed out of the truck. He held his hands behind his back and whistled as he approached the frightened kids. "You kids having some trouble?" he asked, sounding friendly enough. The kids didn't answer. "You got a spare?"

Tempest shook her head. "No."

"Tempest!" Anna exclaimed.

The man chuckled. "You went out on the Expressway without a spare?" he laughed.

"We're history!" squeaked Chase.

Phil added, "Burnt toast."

The man reached up with his right hand to adjust his hat, which wouldn't have been a big deal, but instead of a hand, the man had a hook in its place. The kids screamed.

"Just relax," Anna tried to reassure the kids. "Stay calm. Don't panic." She turned to the man, her voice wobbly. "What do you want?"

"I just wanna help you," the man answered, simply.

"Don't listen to him, Anna," Phil exclaimed. "He just wants to scrape our faces off."

The man shook his head in amusement. "What, you're scared of this?" he asked, motioning to the hook. Laughing, he said, "You kids must be from the suburbs." He turned and went back to his truck. On the back of his jumper, it read _Swagger's Garage. _Quickly, he pulled his truck around to the front of the Roadmaster, and Anna facepalmed.

It was a tow truck.

"I suddenly feel like a total bonehead," she sighed. "Kids, stay here all right. I'll be right back." Frowning, she went over to talk to the man as he climbed out of his tow truck. "Hey listen, I'm really sorry for freaking out back there," she apologized, as the man hooked the car up to the tow truck. "We just kind of overreacted."

"It's okay, I'm used to it." The man's smile was genuine.

Anna continued, cautiously. "Listen, I appreciate this but…see we don't have any money. I'm stuck baby sitting these kids, and I'm not supposed to be taking them into the city like this. It was kind of an emergency."

"I'll tell you what, I'll tow you town to Swagger's Garage, and I'll buy you a new tire. My treat, okay?"

"Oh no, that wouldn't be right."

"What would be right? Leaving you kids alone on the Expressway?"

Anna glanced over to the kids, and then back to the Good Samaritan. "No, I guess not. My name's Anna. Anna Hollenbeck," she introduced herself, holding out her hand.

"Rhodes. Cody Rhodes." Cody held his hook out, and the two of them shook, as the kids looked on in surprise.

~~~BABY~~~

Later, the kids were seated in Mr. Rhodes's truck as it rolled down the freeway. It was cramped, but they weren't planning to stay in it for too long. Phil watched in wide-eyed amazement as Cody drove the truck expertly with his hook. "Hey, Mister."

Cody glanced over. "Yeah Punk, what?"

"How did …you know, how did you know, lose it?"

"Lose what?"

"Your…your hand. Was it in Iraq?"

Cody laughed. "I wish it was, but no. Afraid not, no. I was changing a tire on a big rig and the jack gave out. The back of the truck fell right on the hand and popped it right off.

Phil cringed. "What did they do with the hand? Did they bury it?"

Cody shook his head. "No, I wouldn't let 'em. I kept it."

Phil snorted. "You kept it?"

"Yep. I got it over in the glove compartment," Cody explained, as the kids all looked at the glove box in horror.

Before Phil or anyone else could say anything, Cody's radio turned on. "Rhodes."

Cody picked up the CB microphone. "Yo!"

"Swagger here." The man's voice sounded tinny over the speaker, and did he have a lisp?

"Yes?"

"I just went by your place."

"What did you see?"

Swagger's voice sounded hesitant. "You won't like it."

"What did you see?!"

"That car was parked out front."

Cody snarled. "She's with that bastard again!" he shouted, shifting the truck into a higher gear and flooring the gas pedal

"Stop, Mr. Rhodes, please! " exclaimed Chase, as the other kids gasped in fright. "Slow down!"

Tempest was more excited than her brother. "WHEEE!" she shouted. "This is great!"

Anna glanced back at the car, and was horrified to see it swerving crazily back and forth.

"CAREFUL!" she shouted. "That's my grandmother's car!"

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Once again, another chapter banged out quickly. Ahhh, you gotta love holidays at work:) Cody playing the tow truck driver worked out better than I thought. I think he has a slightly crazy vibe about him, which translated nicely here.**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	4. Chapter 4

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Thoughts and prayers go out to Jerry Lawler, who collapsed last night (9/10/12) during the RAW broadcast from an apparent heart attack. Didn't like the guy for many years, but I admire and appreciate the contributions he's made to the world of professional wrestling. Hope you get well soon!**

**With that said, on to the next chapter. As JR would say, business is about to pick up...**

_**Chapter Four**_

The kids hung on for dear life as the tow truck, with the Roadmaster swinging crazily off the back, exited the freeway and tore through residential streets in a run-down looking neighborhood.

Cody reached for the glove box. "Look out kids," he warned them.

"Oh, God!" squeaked Phil, as he covered his eyes. The others widened their eyes in shock (unknown to Phil). "Is it a hand?"

Chase shook his head. "No."

Phil sighed and uncovered his eyes. "Oh good."

"It's a gun."

Phil squeaked and covered his eyes again as the tow truck screeched to a stop outside a house. "Oh God!"

Tempest was grinning. "That was fun! Can we do that again?"

Cody didn't hear her. Instead, he leaped out of the truck, gun in hand and rushed into the house. The sounds of a fight, complete with shouting, four-letter words, and things breaking, could be heard.

Chase looked pale. "What's going on in there?" he asked, his voice wobbly, before a gunshot made all the kids jump.

The older Irvine-Hardy glanced up just in time to see Cody punch a strange man through the window of his house. Shaking his head, he gasped, "I can't believe this."

Everything happened at once. The guy Cody knocked through the window stumbled to his feet and tried to run off. Cody picked up his gun and fired another shot. It went wide and hit the passenger's side window. Tempest shrieked as Anna shoved her down onto the truck floor.

"Oh, crap!" Anna squeaked, reaching over to open the driver's side door. This night was going from bad to worse in a hurry. "Everyone out of the truck!" As quiet as church mice, the kids managed to slip out of the truck. Anna saw another car, a late-model Cadillac, parked on the street. The last thing she wanted to see was one of the kids hurt, and the car looked like a suitable place to take temporary refuge.

She gestured towards her charges. "Be careful, kids."

As they crept down the street, Cody fired his gun again. This time, the shot hit the front window of the Roadmaster. The bullet didn't break out the window, but it left a hole, and the glass exploded into multiple starlike fractures.

Anna wheeled around in shock. _"My grandma's car!" _she shrieked, as the man Cody was firing at locked eyes with her. Anna found herself frozen in fear like a deer in the headlights.

"Anna!" Chase saw his babysitter in danger and rushed back to her. Grabbing her by the coatsleeve and dragging her, he exclaimed, "Anna! Come on! Get in the car!" The kids climbed in, shutting all the doors.

The man saw the kids and chased after them. "Hey! You kids get out of my car!"

Anna slid into the passenger's seat in the front. "Lock the doors!" she barked.

Before the were able to, the doors suddenly locked themselves with a loud _thump! _The kids looked at each other in confusion. Before any of them could speak, a well-muscled black man man popped up from the front seat of the car. He appeared to be in his early thirties with short dreadlocked hair, and he was covered in tattoos. The kids all screamed in surprise.

Suddenly the man Cody was shooting at banged on the window. "Get out of my car!" He pounded on the windows again. "Get out of there. Get out of my car!"

"Sorry, dude!" The dreadlocked man shook his head then deftly hotwired the car. The Caddy rolled off just in time for the kids to glance out and see Cody drag the cars owner away and pound on him with his fists in the front yard.

Anna grinned in relief at the driver. "Oh thanks mister, you saved our lives."

"Anna?" Chase said.

"Yeah?"

"Uh…he's a car thief. This is a stolen car."

Anna slumped back in the passenger's seat. "No…"

Phil shook his head. "The chick is losing it."

"I am not!" Anna snapped.

Tempest smirked and pulled out a Nestle crunch bar. "You guys want some candy?"

"Don't mind if I do, Temper." Grinning, Chase took the candy and began to unwrap it, and Anna snapped.

Climbing over the seat, Anna knocked the candy bar out of Chase's hand. "Chase, no chocolate!" she exclaimed. "Your acne." She whipped the bottle of cough syrup and a spoon out of her coat pocket. "Temper! It is time for your cough syrup. Phil! _Fasten your seat belt!"_

Tempest giggled. "She is definitely losing it."

Anna gave Temper a dirty look. _"I am not losing anything! I am still in control here! You got it?!" _The man smiled and shook his head. Phil and the Irvine-Hardys all nodded.

Turning her attention to the driver, Anna asked, "Sir, would you please take us to the next corner and drop us off?"

The man chuckled. "In this neighborhood? Hey, I wouldn't even get out of the car in this neighborhood."

Chase chimed in with, "Well, could you drop us off at the nearest mall?"

"A mall?" The man snorted in disbelief. "Where you think we're at, Boise, Idaho? Shoot…man. Look, look why don't ya'll come with me? I've got a little bit of business to take care of, all right? And then I can drop you off at the train station or something like that, but I ain't driving to no mall. No way."

"Do you promise me you won't hurt these kids?" Anna questioned.

The man cast a glance at Anna and her charges. "Yeah, yeah I promise you."

~~~BABY~~~

Eventually, the car pulled into an alley near a warehouse. The driver pulled a garage door opener from the pocket of his denim jacket and pressed a button to open the warehouse doors.

"Where are we going?" Anna ventured as the man pulled the Caddy into the warehouse.

Phil couldn't resist. "To Hell. Kind of exciting, don't you think?"

Anna shook her head and watched the scene through the car windows. A bunch of guys worked on various makes and models of cars. It dawned on Anna that this wasn't a mechanic's shop. "It's a chop-shop," she realized, under her breath. "They're stolen cars."

A group of swarthy-looking guys were at a table eating sandwiches and drinking coffee. One of them got up and walked around the car as it rolled to a stop.

Phil gazed around wide-eyed. "Did you steal all of these cars?"

"Yeah," nodded the Good Sam behind the wheel. "Gets me some good money."

"Isn't it kind of dangerous?" Chase asked.

"Hey, I like danger."

"You should try babysitting," Anna chuckled. The Good Sam moved to get out of the car but she stopped him. "Sir? Uh…"

"Wait, wait. My name is Ron Killings, okay?"

"Then, uhhm, Mr. Killings…"

Ron laughed. "No, you can call me R-Truth. Everyone else does."

Anna nodded. "We have to get our car to Swagger's Garage…do you think you could…"

"Relax," R-Truth reassured her. "Relax. Everything's going to be okay."

R-Truth got out of the car and walked up to Dreamer, just as a bell rang.

Dreamer shouted out to the other guys working on the cars. "All right, it's quitting time!" He turned to R-Truth and nodded. "Good job, Truth. Got any defects?"

R-Truth smirked, just as the kids got out of the car. "Yeah, a few."

Chase shut the door of the Caddy, and the kids all turned to look. R-Truth shrugged, Dreamer looked confused, and another man at the table, Stevie, looked a little hacked off to see the unexpected visitors.

Chase took the opportunity to shake hands with the guys standing nearby. "Hi. Uh…hi, how're you doing? I'm Chase Irvine-Hardy. Nice to meet you. This is my sister, Tempest. This is Anna Hollenbeck, and that's my best friend Phil Brooks. How're you doing? Nice to meet you."

Dreamer arched an eyebrow at his colleague. "R-Truth, what are you doing?" he started, before Chase shook his hand.

"Hi! Nice to meet you. This is a nice place you've got here, really."

Dreamer pulled his hand away. "Thanks."

Chase stammered, "Yeah, it's uh…it's great. Look, we sorta took a wrong turn somewhere, and if you don't mind…we'd like to get out and go home," as the other kids nodded.

Snarling, Dreamer punched R-Truth in the jaw. Squeaking, Anna grabbed Chase in fright. Chase glanced over and couldn't help but grin.

R-Truth got back in Dreamer's face. "Hey, hey, don't hold it in Dreamer. Go ahead and get pissed man."

Dreamer grabbed R-Truth by the lapels of his jacket and shoved him up against the stolen Caddy. "You went and boosted a Caddy full of kids?"

"Hey! They got in the car while I was stealing it, man. What was I supposed to do, put them out on the street? They would've been killed!"

"They know where our operation is! They could go to the cops!"

"Sir?" Anna ventured. Dreamer let go of R-Truth. "No, we wouldn't go to the cops."

Dreamer glared at the babysitter. "How am I supposed to know that?"

Chase glanced around at everyone. "Hey, uh…we could put it in writing. Everyone would sign it, huh? We could take it to a notary republic…"

"Shut up!" Dreamer snarled, as Stevie, the hacked-off looking guy, slammed his hand on the table.

"Alright!" he bellowed. "Take the Brady Bunch upstairs!" The kids followed his eyes to an office that was on the second floor. "We'll take care of them after the meeting."

Dreamer turned to his remaining workers. "All right, you guys go on home! Clear outta here!"

Quietly, R-Truth led the kids upstairs to the office. He ushered them in. "Stay here. We're gonna sort everything out." He was trying to be reassuring, but the situation was becoming rather volatile.

Once R-Truth was back downstairs, Anna gave Tempest, who was looking a little nervous, a hug. "Don't worry. We'll get home. This has all just been a big mistake."

"What about AJ?" asked the little Thor fanatic.

Phil snorted. "That was her parents mistake."

~~~BABY~~~

AJ sat at one of the many TV's that populated the bus station, trying not to pay attention to the homeless woman that sat beside her. Yawning, AJ slipped her glasses off and set them on the arm of her chair so she could rest her eyes.

The homeless lady let curiosity get the better of her and quietly picked up the glasses (she thought the tortiseshell frames were cute) and tried them on herself. A smile crossed her face as she realized that she could see again. Pumping her fist in triumph, she got up and left, leaving her sunglasses behind.

A moment later AJ reached down to put her glasses back on but stopped when she realized that she wasn't picking up what she'd thought she had. "Hey! These aren't mine!" she gasped, dropping them onto the arm of the chair.

She got up and felt around frantically. Her heart sank when she realized that her glasses had been stolen.

"I can't see!" Groaning, AJ flopped back into her seat and threw her head in her hands. "Oh Anna, please hurry and pick me up!"

~~~BABY~~~

Back at the warehouse, Tempest hung up the phone. "It's dead," she sighed, hanging her head in disappointment.

"Kinda like us," Chase nodded.

"What are you talking about?" Anna questioned. She wasn't about to give up yet.

"We're really in trouble. We're gonna die here."

While Chase was bemoaning his and the others' predicament, Phil glanced over at the desk. A smile crossed his face when he recognized the Playboy issue. The cover girl who looked remarkably like Anna smiled up at him.

Phil picked up the magazine and slipped it under his hoodie. "Sorry, guys. I can't buy a Playboy yet, and my dad needs his back."

Tempest looked and spotted something on the ceiling. "We're not gonna die here, guys—look!"

The other kids saw what she was looking at. There was a decent-sized hole in the ceiling, big enough for someone to crawl through...

Anna shook her head vehemently. "Oh no! We are _not_ climbing up there. It is much to dangerous. I mean, look at that…you could poke you're eyes out."

Chase looks out the window to the meeting going on below. "Yeah, well the guys down there might poke our _brains_ out. I don't wanna stay here any longer than I have to. Let's go!"

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Looks like things are going from bad to worse for the kids right now. At least R-Truth was being as nice as he could be under the circumstances. Matt and Chris would blow a gasket if they found out where everyone was. And Phil's dad could whup him for swiping the Playboy. And Anna's grandma would flip out if she knew what happened to her car!**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	5. Chapter 5

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I wanted to give a shout-out to Alkaholik for the very thoughtful and complementary review that was left for me. It was greatly appreciated. I try hard to make any OC's of mine believable, because good OC's are harder to develop than you think. BTW, Stevie Richards in this story is the Stevie from the Right To Censor days.**

**Okay, on with the show!**

_**Chapter Five**_

Downstairs, Stevie conducted business with some of his associates. One of them had a list of customers. "Now Dallas gets the Ferraris, there's one Lamborghini to Phoenix, and Cleveland needs four Porches."

"Forget that," Stevie snapped.

The other associate looked puzzled. "But they got an order!" he protested.

"I said forget it! I don't like the way they been running things. Cleveland is dead."

Back in the office the kids climbed carefully onto the roof of the office (it was separate from the warehouse, on the second floor), using a file cabinet they'd set on top of the desk. Each of them glanced around for a way to escape. There was a network of steel support girders, as far as their eyes could see.

"Ah-ha!" Anna whispered, spotting an open window across from a steel beam that looked wide enough to walk across. "Guys! We can go out that window."

Phil had an odd look on his face. "You gotta be shittin' me."

"Watch your mouth!"

"Watch my mouth? You gotta be shittin' me," he exclaimed quietly, before Chase _shhh-_ed him. "But what if I fall?"

Tempest smiled at him. "I won't let you fall."

Phil smiled back in return. "Thanks Temper."

"Just be careful," warned Anna as she set out across the steel beam, spreading her arms out to the side for balance. As quietly as they possibly could, they worked their way across. First it was Anna, then Chase, then Tempest, then Phil.

"Chase," Anna whispered, as they trekked forward slowly. "I don't think your folks will ever ask me to babysit again."

"If they do," he said. "I'd ask them for a dollar more an hour."

~~~BABY~~~

Downstairs R-Truth was listening in on the conversation between Stevie and his associates. He glanced up in time to see the kids creep across the catwalk, but he said nothing. A small speck of rust (dislodged from the beam by Anna's foot) fell into one of the cups of coffee on the table below. Nobody (but R-Truth) noticed it, and one of the associates took the cup and took a big sip out of it.

R-Truth chuckled silently. _Hurry out of here, Kids! _he thought. _Get yourselves home safe._

~~~BABY~~~

"Well?" Matt asked as Chris snapped his cell phone shut. The two of them were at their office party, and it was in full swing, but Chris was a bit edgy as he tried to reach the kids at home. "Is it multiple murder or has Tempest just cut off a finger?"

"I got the answering machine."

Matt ushered Chris back to the table. "Well, they probably went to Menchie's for some frozen yogurt. They're okay. Anna can handle it."

Chris picked up his mixed drink and chuckled. "Sure. Temper's probably hanging from the rafters right about now."

~~~BABY~~~

"Don't look down," Tempest warned Phil, Anna and Chase. Back in the warehouse, Tempest and the others were indeed in the rafters, still trying to cross the beam to get to the open window.

Phil crept forward, causing the Playboy to come loose from under his hoodie. He managed to catch it before it fell, but Chase grabbed the magazine from him.

"Phil! You idiot. Shhh…" he chastised, as the kids made it to the window and began to climb out slowly…

~~~BABY~~~

"Tommy," Stevie demanded. "Where's the magazine?"

"The Playboy?" Dreamer blinked, stupidly. "I…uh…I took the Playboy upstairs…there was this…article…"

Stevie huffed and rolled his eyes. "Get it."

~~~BABY~~~

R-Truth let out a small sigh of relief. Anna had just climbed out the window to join the other kids, just as Dreamer stomped up the stairs to the office. "Better hurry, kids," he said under his breath.

~~~BABY~~~

The first thing Dreamer noticed when he entered the office was the file cabinet on top of the desk. "Dammit!" he snarled, hunting for the pilfered Playboy. No luck. Glancing up, he saw the hole in the ceiling and put two and two together.

"Oh, crap," Dreamer whined, backing out of the office. "Stevie's gonna kick my ass!"

~~~BABY~~~

"Let's go! Come on! Hurry up!" Anna barked, as she ushered her charges across the roof to a ladder on the side of the warehouse. Tempest was the first one on the ladder. "Temper, hold on!"

~~~BABY~~~

"Where is it?" Stevie barked, as Dreamer slunk back downstairs.

"We…we got a problem. It's, uhm…it's not up there," Dreamer stammered. "I think the kids have got it."

"Well, get it back from them."

"That's the problem. They're not up there, either. They…they got away."

~~~BABY~~~

Chase held the Playboy out to his best friend. "Where'd you get this?" Chase demanded, holding the Playboy out to his best friend. The kids were now in an alley by the warehouse, hiding behind a dumpster after climbing down the ladder

"I boosted it from the office—"

"WHAT?"

"That Playboy you tossed out of the car was my dad's, Jerky! I can't buy a replacement!"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have brought it in the first place! You're going to get us into so much trouble—"

Tempest snapped, "Guys! Come on! Stop arguing!"

Phil let out an exasperated sigh, as he glanced down at the perfect place to put the magazine. Tempest had her Thor backpack on, and the zipper was open. "Sorry, Temper," he said under his breath as he put the Playboy in the backpack without her noticing.

"_Hey! You kids! Get back here!"_

The disagreement was interrupted as Dreamer, Stevie, and R-Truth emerged from the warehouse.

Dreamer glared at the kids. "Hey!"

Anna gasped. "Run!" Anna's charges didn't need to be told twice. All of them took off like a shot down the alley.

Stevie watched them with a stony expression, and then he turned his attention to R-Truth. "Get the car."

R-Truth was slightly outraged. "Oh come on…they're kids! Wrong place at the wrong time, you get it? What are you gonna do, run 'em down and kill 'em?"

Stevie snarled and grabbed R-Truth by the front of his jacket. "Get the car!"

R-Truth decided not to incite his boss any further and nodded before heading to his boss's car, a maroon colored Town Car. He started it up, rolled it out of the warehouse, and pulled up in front of Dreamer and Stevie.

"We gotta get that magazine back," Stevie explained as he and Dreamer climbed in. "It's got all my notes for the Philadelphia order."

Dreamer chimed in with, "That could put us away for 20 years," as R-Truth drove off. He steered the Town Car and spotted the kids.

"Faster!" Stevie shouted, and R-Truth had no choice but obey his boss. Anna, Phil, and the Irvine-Hardy's ran down the alley, with the Town Car in hot pursuit.

~~~BABY~~~

"Oh, no!" Anna exclaimed. The kids had fled down another alley, only to find a locked chain link fence at the other end. Dreamer was shouting at them to come back.

"Anna!" Tempest squeaked. "What are we gonna do?"

Anna glanced around. To his left was a building with a flashing neon sign over the door that read _The Silver Dollar Club. _The sign underneath (which wasn't neon) read_, featuring in-house musician, Albert Collins, on lead guitar. _"We can hide here! Come on! Get inside! We can lose them…"

~~~BABY~~~

The Silver Dollar Club was a blues club, with a live band playing some really great blues music. The entire band was composed of people of color, and as a matter of fact, the whole audience was composed of people of color.

Backstage the kids tried frantically to find a way out of the building. Anna opened a door and suddenly, she and the rest of the kids, found themselves on stage, just as the band was finishing their song, and the lead guitarist, finished a hot blues riff. The crowd applauded, but then an uncomfortable hush fell over the crowd as they noticed Anna and the kids.

Anna took a breath to steady her nerves. "Sir," she started, speaking to the lead guitarist, "We didn't mean to interrupt your little concert here, if you don't mind we'd just like to let ourselves off the stage…"

Albert Collins shook his head. "Nobody gets outta this place without singing the blues."

Anna looked at Albert like he'd just sprouted horns. "What?"

"Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues," Albert said back, before conferring with his band mates.

Anna stammered, "Uhh…You want me to sing?" She glanced at Phil. "They want me to sing."

Phil shrugged. "Well do whatever they want, just get us outta here."

"But…I can't sing."

~~~BABY~~~

Meanwhile, Stevie and Dreamer entered the building. Rather than go out on stage, they both decided to go around and catch them from another direction.

~~~BABY~~~

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I hope I don't confuse you guys with who's singing what, and I hope I do this scene from the movie justice. I'll do my best to keep everything in order—sort of.**

The crowd waited with bated breath as Anna went to a microphone and adjusted it. _Here goes nothing, _she thought. Leaning into the mic, she said, "Uhmmm…Hi. My names Anna Hollenbeck."

Albert and his band started a blues rift, and Anna jumped in surprise.

Anna continued. "I live in Oak Park. That's a suburb—"

Chase interrupted with, "They probably figured that out," earning him an eye roll from Phil and a dirty look from Anna.

Anna glanced over at Chris Irvine-Hardy's son, his sister, and his best friend. "This is Chase, Tempest, and Phil. And we're in trouble."

Phil added, "Ain't no doubt."

Anna nodded. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all, _she thought, as she began to sing slowly along with the blues rift.

"_See, me and my boyfriend Mike, tonight's our anniversary._

_But then he went and canceled and now I'm stuck watching these three. _

_And it's so hard."_

Albert chimed in. "And it's so hard."

Anna: Babysitting these guys.

Tempest gestured for Chase to adjust the other microphone so she could join in.

Albert: She's got the…

Anna continued:

_I got this call from AJ, we went to pick her up._

_But the tire had a blowout, and my grandma's car got shot up._

Tempest: And these guys started to chase us…

Chase: And we all got hijacked.

Phil: We're cruising down the highway…

Anna: In this big old Cadillac…(at this point, the audience shouted in excitement) And it's so hard…

Albert: It's so hard…

Anna: Babysitting these guys…

Albert: She's got the…Babysitting Blues.

Others: Baby, baby…babysitting blues.

Anna: I've got the…Babysitting Blues.

Albert: There are nights, you'd swear you were born to lose…like tonight. And you wish your feet were walking in someone else's shoes.

Anna: Some guys are out to get us. (As Stevie and his associates wove through the crowd to wait for their chance to pounce)

Phil: And AJ's probably dead.

Chase: We ain't got five dollars…

Albert: And they should be in bed, and you outta luck.

Anna: I just love watching these guys. I've got the Babysitting Blues.

Others: Baby, baby.

Anna: Babysitting Blues.

Others: Baby, baby.

Anna: Babysitting Blues.

Albert: There are nights…

Anna: You'd swear you born to lose…

Albert: Like tonight.

Albert/ Anna: And you wish your feet were walking in someone else's shoes.

Albert: Some guys are out to get 'em, and the girls probably dead. They ain't got a nickel…

Chase/Phil/Tempest: And we should be in bed!

Albert: And you outta luck!

Anna: I just love watching these guys. I've got the…Babysitting Blues. (R-Truth met Anna's gaze and he gave her a wink and a friendly nod)

All: Baby, baby.

Anna: Babysitting Blues.

All: Baby, baby.

Anna: Babysitting Blues.

The band continued playing as Albert led the kids off stage and towards the exit. On the way out they give several members of the audience high fives as they passed. The audience loved them! The kids escaped out the door just as Albert finished his last rift and stood in front of Stevie and Dreamer.

"Sorry. Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues," he warned, as the thugs looked out over the now silent crowd. R-Truth wanted to bust up laughing at Dreamer and Stevie's clueless expression, but he kept a poker face as best as he could.

~~~BABY~~~

"You were incredible, Anna!" Phil exclaimed, as he and the other kids ran outside. "Amazing!"

Tempest had an ear-to-ear grin. "I didn't know you were so cool!"

Chase smirked. "I did."

Anna smiled at her charges as they all skipped across the street. "Oh, you guys are pretty cool yourselves. Come on, we gotta get outta here."

Phil cocked an eyebrow. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know, but anywhere but here."

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: It seems to me that the kids may have forgotten AJ. Don't worry, we'll get back to her soon. Please keep in mind that this is my version of Adventures in Babysitting. I'm retelling it with my characters, and with WWE personalities. **

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	6. Chapter 6

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Work has kicked me in the head the past few days. Today was a blessing in disguise, and I'll explain why at the end of this chapter. **

**BTW, this chapter was written on my ipod touch!:)**

_**Chapter Six**_

Hey, Anna?"

Anna turned her head. "Yeah, Chase?"

"Can I tell you something?"

"Sure," Anna nodded, making sure Chase had her undivided attention. The kids were walking downtown, across a bridge where homeless people were gathered around fires blazing in trash cans. Phil and Tempest brought up the rear, hanging back a respectful distance, so that Chase and Anna could talk.

Chase couldn't stop the blush that crept up his neck and across his cheeks. "I, uh, didn't really know you until tonight. I mean, um, I knew you were pretty…" Chase realized he was babbling and tried to recover. "I...I mean you are pretty!"

Anna chuckled, slightly distracted. "Thanks." A pause, and then she pointed. "Look over there. Is that your dad's building?"

"Uh, yeah. You're more than just that, though. You're kinda smart too."

Anna nodded, deep in thought. "I think we should turn ourselves in." Up ahead, Phil caught a glimpse of something interesting and ran off. Tempest ran up to walk between her brother and the babysitter. Anna put a protective hand on the little girl's shoulders.

Chase realized that his crush was trying to change the subject. "Wait, listen to me…the point is I…" He tried to find the right words to express his thought and finally decided to get to his point. "…the point is I, uh…I don't know what the hell you're doing with Mike Mizanin. Okay?"

Anna's jaw fell. "What?"

"Anna, I mean it. The guy's a total loser. Phil knows it. I know it-"

"Chase, it's none of your business."

"Um, there's nothing personal Anna. I…I just think you should give other guys a chance."

"Like who?"

"Well, like uh…"

Tempest grinned. "Don't say it. Don't say it!" she warned, before her brother pushed her aside.

Chase's voice was a squeak. "Like me."

Tempest snorted. "Oh no, he said it!" she managed before she and Anna busted up laughing.

Chase looked genuinely offended. "What's so funny?

Anna waited until she was able to catch her breath; she was laughing that hard. "Well, it's just that…you're a kid, Chase."

Chase fired back. "And you're just a girl in love with an assclown."

Anna, realizing that she'd rubbed Chase the wrong way, tried to take back what she'd just said. "Hey look I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

Chase hung his head, genuinely hurt. "Never mind. Forget it."

Tempest's little voice broke the tension. "Anna, look where Phil is," she said, pointing to a streetlight.

Anna and the Irvine-Hardys glanced over and Anna sighed in disgust. Phil was talking to a hooker.

~~~BABY~~~

The hooker was well-dressed in a short skirt, boots, and a warm and fashionable coat. Her makeup was nicely applied, and her hair was neatly styled. Her voice was a purr as she traced a manicured hand up and down Phil's arm. "Y'know, I'd really like to get to know you, if you have enough time."

Phil smirked at the well-heeled call girl. "I have tons of time."

"Phil!"

Phil sighed as Anna and the others ran over to where he was. "What are you guys doing? I'm trying to get a date here. You're cramping my style."

Anna frowned. "She's too old for you."

"And you're not?" the hooker fired back.

"Well," Anna explained. "I'm his babysitter."

"How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen."

"So am I," grinned the hooker, as everyone stared at her in shock.

Anna was incredulous. "You're seventeen?" The hooker nodded, proudly. "What are you doing on the streets?"

"Ran away from home. My stepmom drove me crazy. I wanted to spike her Diet Pepsi with Visine."

Anna chuckled. "My best friend AJ wanted to do that to her...stepmom..." Suddenly, she remembered why she and the kids were out here in the first place. "AJ! We forgot about AJ! Come on..."

The kids ran off, with Phil bringing up the rear. "Bye! I'll call you!" At least he got a phone number, so it wasn't a total loss.

~~~BABY~~~

_Meanwhile, Back at the Bus Station..._

"Oh Anna, why aren't you here?" whined AJ, as she tried to feel her way along. She was seriously nearsighted without her glasses, and after the homeless woman stole her glasses, everything was a big blur.

Slowly, she made her way over to a Pepsi machine and saw a small furry animal curled up just beside it. She couldn't make out any details, but the way it was curled up all tiny and fuzzy tugged at her heartstrings. "Oh. It's a kitten," she sighed, dropping to her knees. "Here kitty, kitty. Here kitty, kitty." She reached down and picked the small creature up. "Hi. What's the matter, you got lost?"

"Drop it."

AJ jumped to her feet, cradling the fuzzy animal. "What?"

Two janitors, big and burly, stood in front of AJ. The first one, Bubba Ray, pointed at the bundle in AJ's arms. "Put the animal down."

"Why?"

The second janitor, D-Von, shook his head at the nearsighted teen. "We're gonna kill it."

AJ gasped and cradled the little animal against her chest. "What?! You monsters! Why would you want to kill a poor defenseless little kitten?"

"Kitten?" D-Von turned to his partner. "Kitten?" the janitors glanced down at AJ and busted up laughing.

"This ain't no kitten, kid!" Bubba Ray explained.

D-Von finished the sentence. "It's a jumbo size sewer rat!"

AJ looked down at the rat in her arms and screamed bloody murder. Tossing the filthy vermin down on the floor, she staggered towards the nearest restroom to wash up.

Lucky for AJ, it wasn't the Men's room.

~~~BABY~~~

"C'mon, Chase!" Phil exclaimed, as he struggled to keep up with the others as they rushed down the sidewalk. "You wouldn't believe what Tanya would do for twenty bucks."

Chase glared at his best friend. "Phil, I don't care-" he began, as a familiar sound came up behind the kids. He glanced over his shoulder and gasped. "Guys! It's them! Phil! Pick it up!"

"I'm trying!"

Tempest squeaked as Anna took her by the hand and took off running. "It is them!"

"Run!" Anna shouted, her tone of voice leaving no room for argument. "Come on guys! Run!" She pointed straight ahead. "There's a subway station over there. We can board a train and get away. MOVE!"

The kids ran like their hair was on fire, the Town Car right behind them. They passed a group of kids engaged in some acapella rapping and scurried up a flight of stairs to the subway platform.

Chase vaulted the gates first, followed by Anna, who handed Tempest to him before she climbed over. Phil was last, and the kids made it to a train and flopped into their seats just before the doors closed and the train rolled away.

The token man yelled after the departing kids just as Stevie, Dreamer, and R-Truth arrived on the platform. Angrily, he reached over and grabbed Dreamer's sleeve.

"Hey, who's gonna pay for those kids? Somebody better pay for those kids or I'm calling the cops."

Stevie gave Dreamer a poisonous glare. "Deal with it." Sighing, Dreamer pulled out his wallet and went to settle the tab. While Dreamer was occupied, Stevie turned to his driver.

"I want you tell me all about those kids. Where you found them. Where they came from."

R-Truth shrugged. "Well, how am I supposed to…I don't know anything, you know?"

"You know something. Yeah, you do, don't you?"

R-Truth sighed. "They, uh, they gotta get their car."

A dark smirk crossed Stevie's lips. "We'll get to it first."

~~~BABY~~~

_On The Subway Train..._

Anna pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "What do those guys want?"

Phil shrugged. "Maybe they wanna give us a ride home. Ya think?"

Anna was too frazzled to think of a snappy comeback and ruffled Tempest's hair. "Temper, honey, I think you should lay down and get some sleep."

Tempest shook her head. "I'm not tired."

"Well pretend that you're tired."

"Then can I pretend to sleep?"

Anna sighed. "Yeah whatever."

Suddenly, the relative quiet on the train was shattered as the door at the end of the train compartment banged open and a bunch of gang members, all dressed in black, spilled in. The kids looked over at the gang member and the gang members just glared right back. Before anyone could say anything, the door at the other end banged open and a rival gang, this one dressed in red, climbed aboard.

Tempest smirked. "Cool threads."

Cautiously, Anna said, "We'll get off at the next stop-"

The leader of the black-clothed gang snarled. "Don't you even think about getting off this train."

"The only people getting off this train are gonna be doing it in body bags," hissed his red garbed counterpart.

"This is our train!"

"Yeah? Well your train is rolling in our turf."

"So what?" The black dressed gang leader wouldn't back down.

"So as soon as we cross Devereaux street you and your girls here is dead meat," the red garbed gangster snarled, gesturing to the black clad gangster's posse. The rival gang made sounds of fake fear.

"Oh, well we'll go right now."

Phil's voice was matter of fact. "Chase,They're gonna kill each other."

Chase shuddered. "And kill us doing it."

The red dressed leader pulled out a vicious looking weapon that Anna recognized as a butterfly knife. "There goes Jefferson."

The black clad leader pulled out and opened up a switchblade knife. "And here goes Jackson."

A smirk crossed the red gang leader's lips."Here comes Devereaux."

The rival gangs advanced toward each other like wolves on a deer-

"STOP!" In a move that was brave, foolish, or both, Anna jumped up and held up her hands stopping the fight before it had a chance to start. "Uh, excuse me. I couldn't help but notice that you two groups of people are about to start killing each other, and I was wondering if you could please hold off until we could get off the train."

Red glared at the babysitter. "Sit down bitch!"

Black snarled, "Yeah, bitch, sit down!"

Phil turned to his buddy in shock. "Chase, are you gonna let him get away with that?"

"Hell, no!" Chase stood up. "Hey! Wait a minute!"

Phil shuddered. "Dude, I was kidding."

Chase didn't hear him. He threw Red a look that could freeze a volcano. "That was really rude. Take it back. Apologize."

"Chase!" Anna barked. "Stay out of this!"

"No, Anna! He called you a bitch."

_"Chase, shut up!"_

Red snorted. "Hey, listen to the bitch, Chase."

Foolishly, Chase got right into Red's face. "Watch your mouth. You…big city assclown!" Both gangs busted up laughing. Tempest looked on, stifling her giggles. Phil looked on silently.

Red shook his head. "You just can't keep your foot outta your mouth, can you boy?" Chase glanced down, realizing that he was in way over his head. "Well, let me help..."

With those words, Red hurled his knife right into Chase's foot. Chase yelped. "Don't fuck with the Lords of Hell!"

"Whoa!" Tempest looked on. She didn't like seeing her big brother hurt, but this was kinda fun.

Anna had seen enough. Angrily, she reached down, pulled the knife out of Chase's foot and held it up. "Oh, yeah? Well..._Don't fuck with the babysitter!"_

Red held up his hands. "All right, baby, chill out. Get off the train. Take the kids and split, okay?"

Holding the knife up, Anna and the kids wove their way down the aisle, as they made their way to the door and the train pulled into the next station.

~~~BABY~~~

At the subway station, Anna dropped the knife and caught up to Chase, who staggered along in obvious pain. Phil had draped one of his arms over Chase's shoulders to support him. Tempest tagged along like an eager puppy. "You okay?"

Chase shook his head. "I don't know. I can't feel anything."

"Don't touch it!" Phil warned him. "It could get infected. Jesus. He could get anything. Tetanus. Lock Jaw. Rabies. Scabies. Emphysema-"

"Well then don't let him walk on it," Anna told him. "Come on, pick him up." She picked up one of Chase's legs. Phil had his head supported on his shoulder, and Tempest picked up the other leg.

Phil looked like a lost little boy. "Anna! What are we gonna do with him?"

Tempest looked up at a big sign on the station wall and gazed at everyone in humorous disbelief. "Guys, can't you read?" She jerked her thumb towards the big blue sign with white letters. "Take him to the hospital!"

Anna, Phil, and Chase would have all facepalmed if they were able.

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: My car conked out on me today, which allowed me to play hooky today and crank this chapter out. Let's hope the kids have better luck in the next chapter.**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	7. Chapter 7

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: HOLY CRAP! Work has been kicking me in the head the past few days. I personally blame upper management for not having enough people to do the work. Anyway, sorry for the delay on this chapter.**

_**Chapter Seven**_

"Doctor! Help!" Tempest shouted, as she rushed into the hospital emergency room. Anna and Phil were struggling to carry Chase through the automatic doors.

"We need a doctor!" Phil chimed in, loudly.

Anna huffed at the empty reception desk. "Somebody!" she barked, just as a middle-aged looking nurse emerged from a back room. "Nurse, doctor, whoever!—my friend was hurt in a gang fight."

"Just calm down," the nurse said, her voice calm and professional. Do you see that…" With that, she pointed her thumb towards a commotion at the end of a hallway. It was the man that Cody the tow truck driver was shooting at, being led away by a group of policemen. He had a bandage on his head, and a shiner on his eye.

He glanced over at the kids and narrowed his eyes. "Hey wait!" he shouted at the cops. "That's them! Those are the kids that stole my car. What are you bothering me for?! It's them you want!" The cops ignored his outburst and led him off.

Chase was hustled into a cubicle in the ER by the nurse so that the on-duty doctor could treat him, as Anna and the others settled themselves down in a few plastic chairs in the waiting room. Tempest played with a Thor action figure that she'd taken out of the front pocket of her backpack, Phil played a game on his cell phone, and Anna tried to flip through a magazine.

Anna sighed in despair and glanced up at the clock, which was moving too slowly for her liking. "AJ, if you're dead, I wish I was with you."

~~~BABY~~~

_Back At The Bus Station..._

The warm, meaty smell of hot dogs made AJ's mouth water and her stomach rumble. Slowly, she wove her way over to a hot dog cart that was being manned by a burly looking older man. "Hi. Those are…uh…hot dogs, right?"

"Yeah. Want one?"

"Yeah, I'd love one," AJ nodded, as the vendor pulled a hot dog out of a warming tray and set it on the counter. AJ fumbled through her purse until she found a piece of paper. She pulled it out and squinted at it.

"That'll be two bucks," said the vendor as AJ handed him the slip of paper. A moment passed, and the vendor frowned and handed the paper back. "A check?"

"Yeah," AJ explained, "But it's a good check. See Anna's grandma wrote it out to Anna because Anna bought her something, I can't remember what. Then I bought Anna some peppermint lip gloss, I gave Anna the difference and she wrote the check over to me. So I'll write the check over to you, you keep the difference and I'll take the hot dog." She paused. "So, you got a pen?"

The vendor looked at AJ like she'd just sprouted horns and a tail. "Get outta here."

"Wait!" exclaimed AJ. "I'm starving! You'd rather throw it away than give it to me?"

The vendor folded his arms across his chest. "I work on a cash only basis."

"But it's a perfectly good check!" AJ beseeched him.

"No! I'll make it very clear. You slip me the cash, and I'll slip you the wiener."

"But I don't have any cash!" AJ whined.

"Then I don't have a wiener!"

"Here! I have the cash. Give her the wiener!"

The vendor was about to turn his back on AJ when suddenly, the owner of the loud new voice, a young man, either high-school or college age, approached the vendor and plunked down a couple of dollars, fixing the cranky man with a look that could peel paint.

The vendor was completely caught off guard, but managed to compose himself and set the hot dog down on the counter. "Uh...condiments are at the end. " he muttered, pointing.

"Thank you," the young man smiled. He followed AJ, as she squinted at the pump bottles of condiments. "Whatcha looking for?"

"Cheese sauce."

"It's on your left."

AJ grinned in relief. "Thanks," she said, putting cheese on the hot dog, and then chili. "You saved me from a rather embarrassing moment."

The young man drew closer, and AJ was able to make out some details. His hair was short and dishwater blonde, he had a broad chest, and was wearing a blue-gray sweatshirt that had writing on it. There was something about his presence that made AJ feel more at ease, and she relaxed. "I know what it's like to be hungry and not have any cash."

AJ took a bite of her hot dog. After chewing and swallowing, she said, "I don't think I've seen you here tonight."

"I just got here about five minutes ago," the young man shrugged. He then shook his head. "Duh! Where are my manners? I'm Daniel. Daniel Bryan."

"April. Everyone calls me AJ, though."

"I like that. So, you waiting for a bus?"

"Waiting for a ride. I was running away from home. I wound up getting stranded. My best friend was supposed to be here an hour ago."

"That sucks. I'm heading to Las Vegas. I'm here for a layover."

"What's there?"

"My dad and stepmom."

"You got step parents too?"

"My stepmom drives me crazy." Daniel ushered AJ over to a seat. She plunked down, hot dog in hand, and Daniel followed suit.

AJ took another bite of her hotdog. "I can related," she said when she finished. "If you've got the time, I've got the troubles. In a nutshell, I can't stand my stepmom. I've wanted to spike her Diet Pepsi with Visine so many times, it's ridiculous."

Daniel grinned. "I'll one-up you. I've wanted to spike my stepmom's Tab with Drano. Never followed through on it, though."

"Ew! They still make that crap?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Don't tell my stepmom. She started drinking Diet Pepsi when they stopped selling Tab here."

"And you know what's weird?"

"What?"

"My stepmom's a total vegan. No meat, no dairy, no eggs, no wearing leather—nothing. She's Mrs. Natural Fibers, and she _still_ drinks diet pop. Speaking of veganism, I got into it for a tiny bit, for maybe three months, but I got tired of eating broccoli as a main course."

"I don't think I could do that," AJ laughed. "I can only take so much sprouts and broccoli before I become carnivorous. I admire your willpower, even if it was only for three months."

Daniel got up from his chair. "I'm gonna get something to drink. You wanna share a Pepsi?"

"Sure." AJ grinned a little as she watched Daniel become a blur as he headed towards the soda machine. Suddenly, she didn't really mind that Anna was running late. Daniel seemed nice enough. Maybe this night wouldn't be a complete disaster after all.

~~~BABY~~~

Back at the hospital, a middle-aged man named Dr. Singh finished up with Chase's injury. "There you are. One stitch. All better."

Chase's eyes widened in shock. "One stitch?"

Dr. Singh nodded. "Oh yes, one stitch."

"My only chance of ever being in a gang fight and all I get is one stitch!" Chase raked his hands through his hair. "Anna is gonna think I'm a total loser."

The on-duty nurse poked her head through the curtain. "Dr. Singh, the guy with the stab wounds just died."

"Oh dear." he sighed, shaking his head in sorrow before he lumbered out into the hall.

In the hallway, Anna, Phil, and Tempest caught up to him. "Doctor," Anna gasped, "We're looking for a friend."

"Your friend? Which one is he?"

"Um, he's the one with the stab wound."

"Oh dear.."

Anna turned pale. "What?"

"I'm sorry, your friend is dead."

Tempest gasped. "Dead?"

Phil shook his head in disbelief. "Dead?"

Anna squeaked out, "Dead?" before her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted.

Tempest and Phil rushed over to catch the fallen babysitter and tried to revive her. "Anna! Anna! Come on! Anna, wake up!"

In the midst of the chaos, Chase emerged from behind the curtained off cubicle and watched the drama. Nobody paid any attention because they were too focused on Anna to look over.

"Temper? Phil? What happened?"

Tempest turned around in surprise. "Chase?! Chase! You're okay! She rushed over and threw her arms around her big brother in relief. Then, Phil saw him and rushed over to hug his best friend as well.

"Guys, uh..." Chase looked bewildered. "Phil, why are you hugging me?"

Phil pulled back, and then smacked his best friend in the arm. "Chase, don't you ever die on me! Ever."

"Okay, I won't." A paused. "What's wrong with Anna?" He went over to kneel beside her. "What happened?"

Dr. Singh was a little slow on the uptake but realized his mistake. "Oh, you are her friend. She fainted," he explained, as the nurse brought some smelling salts to wave under Anna's nose.

Anna's eyes flew open, and she gasped. "Oh," she groaned. "I had the worse nightmare. We were stuck in this… " Her voice trailed off as she realized where she was. "Oh…oh, crap. it's really happening."

"Some night, huh?" Phil chuckled as he and the Irvine-Hardy kids helped her up.

"It's all right," reassured Dr. Singh, as Anna turned and gave Chase a hug. "I made a mistake. See, he's fine. Now you stay here and I'll send the nurse back with the paperwork," he instructed gently, as he and the nurse walked off.

Once they were out of earshot, Chase blanched. "Paperwork. They're gonna want to know my name and stuff!"

Anna was pale but resolute. "I'm going to call my grandma—"

"No!" Phil spat. "No mothers, no grandmothers, no mods or dads. They'll kill us. No way!"

"Hey you kids! Where's my damn car?!"

The kids turned and squeaked in surprise as the man whose car R-Truth stole emerged from one of the curtained-off cubicles and stalked towards them.

"We're toast!" Chase squealed.

"Burnt toast," Phil chimed in, as the angry man drew closer. But, before he could reach the kids, a familiar face rounded a corner and plowed into the man, knocking him down.

"Mr. Rhodes!" Anna exclaimed, happily.

"Babysitter!" He spotted the cops standing nearby and gestured for the kids to follow him. "I've got your car," he said, ushering the kids out of the building as the police went over to check on the car theft victim. Come on, let's split."

The ragtag group spilled out into an alley, where a fleet of ambulances was parked. The kids and Cody ducked behind one of them to catch their breaths.

"What are you doing here?" Phil wondered.

"My wife called the cops. I got a little banged up."

"Well where's our car," Anna asked the tow truck driver.

"I've got the car at Swagger's Garage."

"Is our car okay?" Phil wanted to know.

"Yeah. I paid for the window…that's my fault. But Swagger's gonna make you pay for the tire."

"How much?" Chase asked.

"Fifty dollars."

Chase's jaw fell. "Fifty dollars?"

Anna looked sick. "Fifty dollars?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah, fifty dollars." He glanced over his shoulder and saw the cops spill out into the alley. "Sorry, I gotta split."

Anna grabbed Cody's coat sleeve as he went to leave. "Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm a fugitive now. Sorry, kids."

"Kinda like us," nodded Phil, as Cody nodded in agreement.

"Good luck , Babysitter!" Cody said as the police headed towards him. The kids managed to hide behind another ambulance as the cops pursued the tow truck driver.

After the cops disappeared, the kids managed to relax for a moment. Then, Chase asked the question of the hour:

"Where are we gonna get fifty dollars?"

Tempest smirked. "Maybe we could sell Phil," she suggested, as Phil rolled his eyes and Chase laughed. "Ya think?"

Anna led her charges away from the hospital. "We'll will think of something. Come on."

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I didn't have the heart to torture AJ any more than she's already been tortured at the bus station. Don't worry, Anna's night is gonna pick up in a nice way too. **

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	8. Chapter 8

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Figured I'd throw in the disclaimers just in case anyone has any questions. Not my characters (except for Anna). Chase and Tempest Irvine-Hardy appear courtesy of Wrestlefan4 and Dark Kaneanite. This is my version of _Adventures In Babysitting._**

_**Chapter Eight**_

"Anna," Tempest whined, as she tagged alongside her babysitter and brother as they all crossed the street. "I gotta pee."

Phil, who was walking slightly ahead, glanced over at the helmet wearing girl. "You gotta what?"

"I gotta go to the bathroom. I really gotta go!"

Anna sighed and tried to reassure the antsy little girl. "Just try and hold it honey until we find a bathroom, okay?"

Chase, who was limping slightly, but otherwise okay, glanced over towards a large brick building with Greek symbols on the lawn. Several older model cars were parked at the curb. "Guys, I hear music."

Phil followed the noise and smiled. "Sounds like a party." He looked closer and saw people milling around on the lawn. "Looks like a party." He paused, and then it dawned on him. They were all in front of a frat house. _"Kappa Gamma Phi! It is a party!"_

With a triumphant yell, Phil sprinted across the lawn towards the house.

"Phil!" Anna shouted, "Get back here—oh, forget it!"

"Sorry, can't talk. Gotta run!" Phil dashed inside, before Anna could say anything else.

Chase had an exasperated look on his face. "Why do I have a strange feeling we're never gonna see him again?"

"Why do I have a strange feeling that's not necessarily a _bad_ thing?" Anna fired back before gesturing with her chin towards the house. "Come on, Guys. Temper. You can find a bathroom in there..."

~~~BABY~~~

The frat house was jumping, with a party in full swing. A live band was playing some hot rock and roll music, and students, male and female, were talking, drinking, and dancing. A good time was being had by all.

Anna found herself singing along and nodding her head with the live band. _"Now you won't look in my direction, On the expressway to your heart. That expressway, not the best way-"_

"Anna!" Chase snickered. "Look at Phil!"

"Oh, God!" Anna had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at Chase's best friend. Phil was dancing and be-bopping along with the music, oblivious to the weird looks the other partygoers were giving him. He looked like a complete and utter dork, and people were giving the kid a wide berth.

"Chase, Temper, pretend you don't know him."

Tempest was bouncing up and down, but not because she was a lousy dancer. "Anna I really have to go to the bathroom. I have to go real bad."

"It'll be okay, we'll find a bathroom."

"Annnaaa..."

"I'm gonna catch up to Phil before he makes a complete ass of himself," Chase said.

"I think it's a little too late for that, Chase!" Anna chuckled.

Across the room, three guys were standing at a makeshift bar, sipping beer and cracking jokes. One of them glanced up and spotted Anna with the kids. "Jay! Cena! Look over there! I don't believe it!" He motioned to his buddies and they all glanced over at the new arrival and her charges.

The second guy—John Cena was his name—asked, "Well who is it, Dolph? Some high IQ kids?"

The third guy—a smirky looking blonde guy—shared a smile and friendly look with Anna, as Dolph smacked Cena on the side of the head. "No, dumbass! It's Miss March!" Dolph pulled his own Playboy copy out and showed it to Cena.

Cena's eyes goggled. "No way! Dolph, let's go check her out!" He caught up to Anna and the Irvine-Hardys. Dolph was right behind him, and their blonde friend was brining up the rear.

"It _is_ Miss March!" Dolph exclaimed.

Anna jumped, turning in surprise to face Dolph and his friends. "What?!"

Cena had a cheesy grin on his face as he and Dolph held out the magazine, which was open to the Miss March Centerfold. "This is amazing."

"Could you sign this." Dolph looked like an over-eager puppy.

Cena pointed to the middle of the centerfold. "Right here?"

Anna shook her head. "I can't believe it."

Tempest glanced at the centerfold, and she gasped, eyes wide in shock. Chase covered her face before she could see anything else.

"Can't believe what?" the blonde guy chimed in.

Anna shook her head and folded the centerfold back up. "This is not me!"

Dolph shook his head. "It sure is you."

"It is not!"

The blonde friend looked at the magazine cover, and then looked over at Anna. "What's your name?"

"It's not Shayleen."

After studying the Playboy cover, and Anna's face, once more, the smirky blonde handed the magazine back to Dolph. "She's not Shayleen."

Dolph looked incredulous. "But, wait a minute-"

The blonde guy cut him off. "Guys, come on. Think about this. Do you honestly believe a Playboy centerfold would have nothing better to do on a night like this…than to show up at a Kappa party with a bunch of kids."

Chase glared at the smirky blonde guy; he didn't appreciate being called a kid.

Dolph actually had to think about his answer. "Uhhh...yeah.?"

Cena was a little quicker on the uptake. "Maybe."

The smirky blonde looked at his buddies like they'd just sprouted horns. "Which head are you thinking with? The one on top of your shoulders, or the other one?"

Dolph and Cena glanced up at Anna, who shrugged back at them. Finally, after an uncomfortable silence, Dolph smacked Cena on the arm before stalking off. "I told you it wasn't her, dumbass."

"Sorry," Cena shrugged as he followed Dolph.

Once the two of them were gone, Anna smiled in appreciation at the smirky blonde. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Dolph and Cena are actually pretty harmless-"

Tempest whined. "I really gotta go Anna."

"Oh. Where's your bathroom?"

"Straight that way," the smirky blonde pointed towards a door with a line of people waiting.

Chase, feeling like a fifth wheel, put his hand on Tempest's shoulder. "I'll uh…I'll take Temper to the bathroom, thanks."

~~~BABY~~~

Meanwhile, back at the bar Phil watched with rapt interest as Dolph, Cena, and another guy chugged down mugs of beer. A light bulb went off in his head. _I can do that! _

Sure Phil was too young to drink alcohol (and even if he was old enough, he'd decided long ago that he'd never touch the stuff), but he could do the same thing these guys could with a Pepsi. He asked the bartender for a bottle of his favorite soda pop, and then he poured it into an empty mug.

"Hey guys!" he called out, trying to get the attention of Dolph and his dumb buddies. Once they glanced over (Dolph had an expression on his face that read, _who the hell does this kid think he is?)_ Phil chugged down his Pepsi. Actually, he tried and failed miserably. The Pepsi got into Phil's nose, and he wound up spewing a huge mouthful across the bar. The beer guzzlers busted up laughing, and Phil laughed along with them, to conceal the reality that he looked like an _Über-dork._

Cena snorted. "I must be hallucinating. Does anyone else see a talking penis?" Everyone laughed, including Phil.

Fortunately, Phil was able to think of a snappy comeback. "Hey, speaking of penises…do you know how the Playboy unabashed dictionary defines oral gratification?"

Dolph and Cena looked like they'd both been hit with a steel chair. "Uhh...no?"

"I do," said a hot-looking young woman as she sidled up to Phil and threw his arms around him.

"Jackpot," Phil smirked, as the girl dragged him out of the room, amid the shocked looks of Dolph and Cena. Dolph was the first one to find his voice again.

"What's my girlfriend doing with that bo-tard?"

~~~BABY~~~

_Meanwhile, in the living room..._

Chase waited in line for his sister, and he couldn't help but listen in as Anna and the smirky blonde guy engaged in small talk:

"You know, I haven't seen you around campus much. You a freshman?"

Anna shook her head.

"Sophomore?" Another head shake. "Well you can't be a junior."

"I'm a senior..." Anna paused, as the smirky guy cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "...in high school."

"_In high school?!"_

"Damn straight," Anna laughed.

"I can't believe it. The prettiest girl on this campus is in High School."

"Good pick-up line."

"No, I mean it."

"Yeah?"

The smirky guy smiled genuinely, as the band finished their song, to a big round of applause. "Damn straight. Wanna dance?"

Anna shook her head. "I don't have time," she said, before the blonde guy took her by the hand.

"Come on, come on. She'll be in line for a few minutes. You've got time."

Anna shrugged and glanced over. As Tempest was waiting in line, a big guy wearing a Viking helmet similar to hers emerged from the bathroom. Tempest and the Viking guy saw each other, grinned wickedly and gave a thumbs up. "Okay."

"By the way, I'm Jay. Jay Reso."

"Anna Hollenbeck."

The lead singer of the band announced, "We're gonna slow things down now and do a song I wrote for the woman I love. Do it Bobby."

The band began a nice, slow-grove ballad, and Jay and Anna got out on the floor to dance:

_I go through each day, hoping for something  
Some little sign, showing me the way...  
Now that you're here, I realize,  
I can see the future in your eyes..._

"So you're babysitting these kids?" Jay asked.

Anna laughed. "I don't think you can call what I've been doing tonight babysitting. If these kids turn out to be drug addicts and mass murderers it'll be my fault."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Jay reassured her. "Everything's going to be okay. I think you're doing a great job.

"Really?"

"Yeah! You've gotten the kids this far. You're still alive." Jay laughed and Anna smiled. "It could be a lot worse."

Anna nodded in agreement and moved in a bit closer. Jay seemed like a nice, sincere guy. "It could be."

_Now all that I ask is to cherish this moment,  
Hold onto this dream, this one precious moment.  
I know, I know, how quickly time flies,  
But I can see the future in your eyes..._

Meanwhile, Chase watched from the doorway as Anna and Jay slow danced, a look of sad longing in his eyes. Reality was beginning to sink in for him. _She's out of your league, Chase, _the voice in his head chastised him. _Give it up and find someone your own age. _

_Yes, I've heard the sorrow, and I've heard the cry,  
Believe me, I've tasted the tears..._

~~~BABY~~~

_In a quiet stairwell, away from the crowd..._

"It's always the same," sighed the girl who'd hit on Phil (her name was Eve Torres, and he'd even gotten her phone number!). "All he cares about are the Bears, the Patriots…the Celtics. What about the love? The romance? The sex?"

"I care about those things," Phil said, honestly. "I care about them a lot."

Eve had a discouraged look on her pretty face. "I'm so lonely."

Phil shook his head, genuinely surprised. "How could a righteous babe like you be lonely?"

Eve smiled, genuinely flattered. "That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me." She paused, and then she grinned slyly. "Wanna go to bed?"

Phil's eyes went wide, and he grinned like a cat. _Scoooorrrre!_

~~~BABY~~~

Back in the living room, Anna spotted Chase in the doorway, waiting quietly. "Oh, I really have to go."

"Oh no," Jay said, kindly. "There's a reason why you're here. Tell me what I can do to help. What do you need?"

"Well, um…actually…I need fifty dollars to fix a car tire."

"No problem," Jay grinned, digging in his jeans pocket.

Anna couldn't stop the grin from flashing on her face. "Really?"

Jay unfolded the bill that was in his pocket. "Sure. Oh, but all I've got is a twenty."

Anna took the offered bill. "Oh, no that's fine."

"Anna, wait right here. I've got some buddies who'll be willing to help you guys out, they're not all hormones and beer. I'll be right back." With those words, Jay rushed down the hallway, and Anna sought out Chase.

"He is getting us fifty dollars, Chase."

Chase nodded and smiled tiredly, as Tempest exited the bathroom and approached him. "That's terrific."

Tempest was a little more enthusiastic. "We're gonna get the money? Really?"

Chase ruffled the curls that poked out of Tempest's helmet. "We are, Winghead."

Jay returned with a handful of folded currency. "I could only get forty-five."

That didn't matter to Anna, who pocketed the cash. "Hey, that's great! Really! Thank you so much!" She paused. "Anyone seen Phil?"

~~~BABY~~~

"Eve!" Phil and Eve glanced up in time to see Dolph glaring down at them. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Eve glared hotly at her boyfriend. "You've been replaced, you big, dumb, bo-tard," she snarled.

Dolph snarled and lunged at Phil. "Oh you're dead, Punk! "

"I didn't touch her! I'm just a kid!" Phil squeaked, as Dolph dragged him to his feet. Eve stepped nimbly out of the way, thinking, _You're still replaced, Dolphie. I'm calling this kid later. _

Dolph was about to slug Phil in the jaw when Jay yanked him by the collar of his shirt and flung him aside. "Hey! Back off! He's just a kid, you big, dumb bo-tard!" He ushered the kids out the door. "Let's get your car. I'm driving..."

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Sorry it took so long to update this one! Work and real life kinda got in the way, plus I had my holiday stories to post_ (Didn't I Get This Last Year? & The Lot Across The Street)_. This one's probably gonna wrap up in about three or four more chapters.**

**On a personal note, after I finish with these stories, I may be taking a break from writing to deal with a few legal issues. Hopefully, they'll be taken care of quickly and I can get back to writing like I want to.**

**The songs in this chapter were _Expressway To Your Heart_ and _Future In Your Eyes _by Southside Johnny & The Ashbury Jukes.**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	9. Chapter 9

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Wow! Almost a month since I did any updates! I've had some legal issues to take care of, but I think the worst is over, so I can get back to what I do best**** To everyone who's reading and critiquing this story, THANKS! Your support means the world to me (cheesy, I know, LOL)**

_**Chapter Nine**_

The Rolling Stones were playing on the radio as Jay steered his vehicle (A late-model Jeep) down the road. Anna sat in the passenger seat, while Phil, Tempest, and Chase huddled in the backseat.

Phil shook his head. They were driving towards what looked like an underground garage. Green light illuminated the tunnel, making everything look spooky and ominous. "This is really weird," he muttered.

Anna glanced over her shoulder and smirked at the young smartass. "You're weird," she fired back, and was rewarded with a snort of laughter.

"I think we're here," Jay announced, as he pulled up in front of a bright neon sign that read Swagger's Garage. There were two old-fashioned Mobil Gas pumps on either side of the big metal garage door, and a matching sign, complete with the red Pegasus, was pasted to the concrete wall on the left, right next to a smaller entrance door. "I thought my GPS was on the blink, but I guess I was wrong."

"Thanks," Anna said gratefully, as she hopped out of the Jeep and opened the small door to look inside. A smile spread across her face. There was a new windshield on her grandma's car, and the tire had been replaced. It was like nothing had happened.

Anna pumped her fist in triumph as she went back to the others, who had stepped out of the Jeep. "The car's fixed!" she grinned.

Chase smiled. "That's great news! Now we can all get home!"

Anna approached Jay shyly. "Thank you for all your help. Really, we appreciate it."

"No problem," Jay smiled in return. "Why don't you go pay for your car and I'll wait out here and make sure you guys get out okay."

Anna glanced over at Chase, who stood a respectful distance away. "No, that's okay. We'll be fine."

Jay looked skeptical. "You sure?"

Anna nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Jay wasn't entirely convinced, but he relented. "Okay. Take care of yourself."

"Hey, ummm…how am I gonna find you to…to pay you back?" Anna wondered, a small shy grin spreading across her face.

"Don't worry about it," Jay reassured her, before he climbed into his Jeep and started it back up. "Don't worry about it. Maybe I'll see you again." To the others, he said, "Have a safe trip home. See you later."

Chase had to force a smile. "We will," he nodded, as Phil waved. "Thanks again."

Anna and the other's watched Jay drive off before they went into the garage.

"Chase?" Phil noticed the glum expression on his best friend's face. "You okay? Come on, Chase. He seems pretty cool. All right?"

"Yeah, he is. I'm just dealing with the reality that I don't have a chance in Hell with Anna."

Phil put a comforting hand on Chase's shoulder as he followed Anna and Tempest into the garage

Inside, it was clean and quiet, almost deserted. Anna felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. "Hello?" she called out, her voice echoing throughout the garage. "Mr. Swagger? Is anyone here?"

Chase chimed in as well. "Hello?"

"Hello?" Tempest called out in her little girl voice.

"Mr. Swagger? Hello?"

"Mr. Swagger?"

"Is anybody here? Hello?"

Suddenly, the eerie quiet was shattered as a lift machine/elevator came to life with a loud grinding of gears. The kids squeaked and jumped in shock as a steel platform lowered itself slowly to the ground, revealing a tall, good-looking man with blonde hair, nice muscles and bright blue eyes. He wore a red hat, a blue tank top and faded jeans, and he carried a small hammer.

Tempest's eyes lit up in joy. "It's Thor!" she gasped, rushing over to the blonde man. She dropped to her knees in reverence. "Oh Thor, mighty God of Thunder!" she exclaimed.

Anna folded her arms across her chest. "Temper, get back here!"

The blonde glared down at the kneeling Irvine-Hardy kid and then looked up at the babysitter. "Who is this kid?"

"Sorry, I'm babysitting her," Anna shrugged, apologetically, as she pulled Tempest to her feet. "You're Mr. Swagger, right?"

"Jack Swagger," he nodded. "Who wants to know?"

"Secret identity," Tempest winked.

"So, what do you want?"

"We're here for the wagon," Anna explained pointing towards the repaired Roadmaster. "Mr. Rhodes sent us."

"The white grocery getter, huh?" Swagger jerked his thumb towards the station wagon. "Broken windshield and new tire?" Anna nodded. "Fifty dollars."

Anna pulled the money out of her pocket and handed it to him. Tempest took the opportunity to approach Swagger again. "Have you been fighting the forces of darkness?"

"Tempest!" Chase snapped, moving forward to get his sister.

Mr. Swagger looked annoyed. "What is she talking about?"

"Sorry, sir. She thinks you're someone else."

"But it's him, Chase!" Tempest insisted. "It's really him. It's Thor!"

"Whatever, Winghead. Come on. Let's go."

"Don't listen to him anyway," Tempest pointed at her older brother. "He said you were a flamer."

"A flamer!" Angrily, Swagger grabbed Chase by his shirt. "You spreading rumors about me, kid?"

Chase frantically shook his head and managed to remove Swagger's hand from his shirt. "Oh no. No, sir! I wasn't!" he babbled, moving back and taking his sister with him.

"What's this?!" Swagger counted the money quickly and held it up. "There's only 45 dollars here! You owe me fifty!"

Anna sighed. "I know, but that's all we have."

"Then you don't have a car," was all Swagger said.

"No, you don't understand!" Anna tried to explain. After the hell she and the kids had already been through, this was the last thing they needed. "We have had the most unbelievable night—"

"Save it!" Swagger fired back, cutting her off savagely. "You owe me money. Now, you give me 5 bucks or you get out."

The older kids—Anna, Phil and Chase—stood in silent shock. If Chase could remember that he had five dollars in his pocket, he would have whipped it out to settle the bill. But he couldn't, so they were all stuck in a garage with an unpleasant mechanic, without a way to get home.

It was Tempest, though, who had enough guts to do something. Indignant, she stomped forward until she was right in front of Swagger. "I thought you always helped people in trouble!" she spat.

Swagger leaned down so that he could look Tempest in the eye. "Hey kid, this is the city. I don't help anybody but myself."

Tempest's lip trembled. "But I always…"

"Get lost!" Swagger snapped, as Tempest backed away. She was about to join her brother and the other kids when she was struck by a flash of inspiration.

"Wait!" she shouted, running back to the grumpy mechanic. "I know why you're not acting like yourself. You don't have your special helmet." Tempest pointed to Swagger's head. "See you're wearing the baseball hat…" she explained, pulling off her Thor helmet and holding it out. "But you're supposed to be wearing this. Take mine. Go on, take it."

Swagger picked up the silver headpiece and held it in front of him. His voice was considerably softer. "You're giving this to me?"

Tempest shrugged. "Well yeah, you're my hero."

Swagger smiled back, touched by the little girl's gesture. Anna, Chase, and Phil look at each other and chuckled in astonishment.

"Here..." Swagger fished the Roadmaster's keys out of his jeans pocket and tossed them to Anna. "Take the car."

Tempest's grin was the biggest one she'd ever flashed. "Thanks Thor," she said gratefully, following Anna and the others to the newly repaired vehicle.

"You're welcome," Swagger said, and then paused. "Hey, Kid." Tempest turned back, and Swagger was holding the helmet out. "I got one of these at home," he explained before he tossed it back to her

"Can I get your address so that I can send you a check for the five dollars?" Anna asked, as the other kids climbed into the Roadmaster.

"Don't worry about it!" Swagger shook his head. "Get yourselves home! Drive safe now."

The kids all expressed their thanks and waved as Swagger opened the main garage door. The Roadmaster, now with Anna at the wheel and the kids safely buckled inside, rolled out into the night.

"Good night!" Swagger waved until the Roadmaster was out of view. Then he closed the door and reached in his jeans pocket for five dollars of his own to add to the cash that the kids had given him. He had a smile on his face for the rest of the night.

~~~BABY~~~

"Phil, time check!" Anna barked, as she drove past a Town Car waiting at a red light.

Phil glanced at his watch. "11:41."

"Okay, we can pick up AJ and be home by 1:00."

Tempest yawned. "Man, am I up late!"

Chase stretched out as much as the back seat would allow. "You're not the only one!"

Meanwhile, in the Town Car, Stevie grinned and turned to his reluctant driver. "Good job, R-Truth. Now follow them…"

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Boy, it was hard getting back in the swing of things, especially after over a month of anxiety. Writing to me is the best medicine, along with a day away from work to recharge. I think this story will wrap up in about three or four more chapters.**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	10. Chapter 10

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I have great news concerning my court case. The DA dropped some major charges and is now going to try my case as a traffic issue. Even better, the court date was vacated, and as of now, it has to be rescheduled. My attorney will keep me updated and will let me know when that case is back on the docket.**

**Now, on with the story!**

_**Chapter Ten**_

_Meanwhile, back at the Bus Station..._

"I think I see them. Tortoiseshell frames, bifocals?" Daniel craned his neck so he could get a closer look. He'd taken it upon himself to help AJ look for her glasses, and he thought he'd hit on a promising lead near the foot of some dirty concrete stairs.

AJ couldn't stop the grin that flashed across her face. "That's them!" she chirped, quietly enough so as not to disturb the sleeping woman who'd swiped the eyewear in question earlier.

"Shhh!" Daniel warned his new friend, who nodded. "Be quiet, she's sleeping."

Slowly, Daniel and AJ crept down the stairs to the slumbering thief. Judging from the way she was breathing, the woman was down for the count. Carefully, AJ sneaked over until she was on the same step as the thief, with Daniel right behind her.

AJ shook her head. "I'm not sure I can do this."

"You'll be fine," Daniel tried to reassure her.

Slowly and carefully, AJ bent over the sleeping thief, lifted the tortoiseshell glasses off the woman's nose and slipped them back on. A loud sigh of relief escaped AJ's lips as she and Daniel tried to walk past the sleeping woman.

They were on the last step and were about to make a clean getaway before the woman's eyes snapped open. Daniel and AJ jumped, and the woman sat up, fully awake.

"Thief! Stop!"

"You stole MY glasses, you thieving old biddy!" AJ snarled back.

The homeless woman lunged at the two teens. "Why, I oughta-"

Daniel grabbed AJ by the hand and took off running. "GO!"

The woman staggered to her feet and began to pursue Daniel and AJ through the bus terminal. For someone as old and big as she was, she was remarkably quick on her feet, but the two kids were much quicker than she was. They wove past the druggies shooting up, shoved past the bald Oriental woman without pants, and brushed past the man with the gun (it actually was a plastic one the guy kept to scare off potential dumb crooks).

"MOVE IT OR LOSE IT, YOU BIG TUB OF GUTS!" The two janitors laughed at the kids, but Daniel shoved Bully Ray back so hard, the loudmouth janitor landed on his ass, and D-Von had to help him up.

Finally, the kids lost their pursuer at the phone booth where AJ made her fateful phone call. The glasses thief stamped her foot in a huff and glanced over in exasperation. The homeless man who had wanted his bedroom slippers back had taken refuge there.

She smacked the booth with her walking stick. "Get out of my house!"

The man opened the phone booth door and dropped a big bag of personal belongings at the woman's feet. _"Here! You just moved!"_ he fired back before slamming the door shut.

The woman made a high-pitched whining noise and stomped her foot before stalking off, fuming.

~~~BABY~~~

_Back In The Roadmaster..._

"Look at that toy store. Anna, look at the toy store!" Tempest bounced up and down in the front passenger's seat and pointed out the window. The car was rolling down the street, and a toy store with an elaborate window display was on the right. "Look at all the toys! Anna look!"

Anna smiled at the elaborate display. "I see it," she said, as the vehicle rolled to a stop at a red light. Glancing out her window, she saw a familiar, fancy-looking building. A frustrated sigh escaped her. "Oh, great!"

Chase leaned forward in curiosity. "What are we looking at?"

"That's the restaurant Mike was gonna take me to tonight."

Phil glanced over as well, and then something caught his eye. "Uh...Anna?"

"What?"

"Looks like he went without you." Phil pointed to what had caught his attention. "Check it out."

By this time, the curiosity of everyone in the car was piqued, and they all glanced over. A red sports car was parked in the restaurant parking lot...a red sports car with a very familiar license plate. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who's car it was.

Tempest turned to her babysitter, who slumped against the driver's seat in shock. "What's wrong?"

Anna choked out only one word as she turned right on red and swung the station wagon into the parking lot: "Everything."

~~~BABY~~~

The restaurant was a fancy, elegant looking establishment filled with fancily dressed patrons and staff. Anna and her charges stuck out like four sore thumbs as they entered the place and looked around.

The maître d' on duty accosted the group. "May I help you?"

Anna shook her head. "We're just looking for somebody, thanks." The maître d' nodded politely and stepped back so the kids could search.

~~~BABY~~~

Outside, Stevie, Dreamer, and R-Truth had finally caught up to the Roadmaster, and they were now parked across the street from the restaurant waiting in the car for the kids to come out.

"Let's just go in and get them," Dreamer ventured, cautiously, before Stevie lifted a hand and advised him to be patient.

R-Truth turned his head so that nobody could catch the devious look in his eye. He knew that his buddies were more than willing to harm these kids to get their magazine back. He'd reassured the kids that he wasn't going to let anything bad happen to them, and he was going to make sure he didn't renege on that promise.

~~~BABY~~~

Anna gasped as she spotted Mike, dressed in a nice suit, seated at a small table across from a familiar looking girl. "Oh, my god! He's with Maryse Ouellet!" she groaned. "She's such a sleaze!"

Phil looked genuinely shocked. "He dumps you for an easy chick and you get a night of hell? Doesn't seem fair to me."

Anna nodded in agreement and turned to Chase. "Stay here and watch Tempest," she instructed him before she walked off. "I will be right back."

Phil took off after the jilted babysitter. "Sorry, guys. I gotta see this."

Chase couldn't hold back his own curiosity. "Can you stay out of trouble for a few minutes, Temper? I'll be right back."

Tempest nodded, and waited until her brother was out of view before she made a beeline for the dessert tray that was a few feet away. Several desserts—pastries, crepes, mouse, etc.-were laid out invitingly on a silver plate. Grinning, Tempest picked up a nice-sized Napoleon full of chocolate mousse and stepped outside.

_I'll have a snack, check out the toys, and be back before anyone misses me,_ Tempest shrugged. _What could go wrong?_

~~~BABY~~~

Angrily, and with Phil and Chase right behind her, Anna marched up to Mike's table just in time to hear her two-timing boyfriend use a familiar line on Maryse: "You know Maryse, girls like you come along once in a lifetime-"

"Or twice in the same night."

Mike practically jumped as he turned around in his chair. His face was flushed. "Anna!"

"How's your sister? Is she all better?" Anna paused as she locked eyes with Mike's sleazy date. Maryse looked vastly uncomfortable. "I guess she is, because she's sitting across from you, right? And I didn't know your sister was a dead ringer for the class bike."

Mike was rarely at a loss for words. This was one of those rare occasions. "Well, uh…"

Anna gave Mike a look that could take paint off a wall. "You lied to me, Mike."

"No I didn't-"

"_You lied to me!" _Anna shouted so loudly, the other patrons turned to look at her in surprise and mild annoyance.

At that moment, Mike realized that he was busted, and that all he could do was conduct damage control. "Get a grip, Geez!"

"Get a grip?" Anna was incredulous. _"Do you have any idea what I've been through tonight?!"_ A pause, while Anna collected herself. "I thought that, um…I thought that you loved me. Or was it all just a bunch of hot air, huh?"

Mike rose from his chair and grabbed Anna by the wrist. "Look, Sweetheart," he sneered. "I don't know what you thought we had, but it wasn't half as serious as you like to think it was."

Chase decided to swoop in and intervene. "Hey, you let go of her!" he snarled, stepping in between Mike and Anna.

Mike snorted at the underclassman and looked at him like he was some ugly breed of dog. "Jeez, you're picking them kinda young aren't ya?"

Anna narrowed her eyes. "This kid's got more class at fifteen than you'll have in your entire lifetime."

Chase looked eyes with Mike. "You're such an assclown."

Phil muttered under his breath, "Here we go again."

Chase continued. "I can only dream of having someone like Anna for a girlfriend. But you've got her! And this is how you treat her?"

"Don't waste your time half-pint," Mike snorted, as Maryse snickered. "Her legs are locked together at the knees."

Chase lunged forward and grabbed Mike by the front of his sportcoat. "I'd love to hit you. I'd love to pound on your face!"

Mike smirked coldly. "Yeah? Why don't you?"

Chase glanced over at his babysitter, and then let go of Mike. Mike dusted himself off, the smirk still on his face.

"I won't," Chase replied, softly. "You're so sleazy, I won't sink to your level."

Mike sneered at the younger kid. He was about to say something about Chase's mod and dad that was cruel and derogatory but he didn't have the chance. Someone had grabbed him by the collar and spun him around.

"He won't," Phil snarled. "But I will!"

And with that, he decked Mike in the jaw with a solid roundhouse right. Anna's two-timing boyfriend spun around, lost his balance, and crashed backwards into a nearby table. The guests at the table jumped up and scurried out of the way. Mike grabbed the table to right himself, but he slipped and fell the floor. As he fell, he grabbed the tablecloth and wound up dragging everything off the table. He wound up in a dazed heap, covered in food, silverware, and dishes.

Maryse looked on, indignant and embarrassed. "Oh, that's just great!"

Anna blew Mike a kiss. "See you around, Mike," she grinned before she, Chase, and Phil walked out without a backwards glance.

Outside, the kids celebrated. "Chase, Phil, that was awesome!"

Phil whooped and pumped his fists. "That was great, Anna! We were amazing!"

The doorman at the restaurant watched them leave, wondering where he'd seen the blonde girl in the wool coat. He glanced up at a nearby billboard and did a double take. _She looks like Miss March! Could she, was she...naah! _

Meanwhile, the kids' celebration was cut short as Anna looked around in concern. "Where is Tempest?"

~~~BABY~~~

In front of the toy store window, Tempest had just finished up her pastry and had her nose pressed up against the display window of the toy store. _It's a Thor doll, and he's got rooted hair! I want him! Maybe if I help shovel the driveway when it snows, Mod'll get it for me-_

She was so enthralled by the display that she didn't notice the Town Car pull up at the curb until the passenger's side door opened, and a man stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"Hey kid!" he beckoned. "Come here for a second!"

Spooked, Tempest turned to look at the man. He looked familiar, and as she remembered who he was, her heart began to race. It was the bad guy who'd been chasing her and the others earlier! Squeaking in terror, she turned and ran, her Thor helmet tumbling off her head and clattering to the sidewalk.

Stevie jumped back in the car. "Get her!" he barked at his reluctant driver, who floored the gas pedal. The Town Car screeched back to life and gave chase to the frightened young girl.

Tempest ran for a couple of blocks before she ducked into an alley to catch her breath. As she did, she glanced up and spotted a familiar building in the distance.

"That's Dad's building!" she gasped under her breath. It didn't look too far away. If Tempest could keep the bad guys behind her, perhaps she could reach the building and get help. She didn't like the thought of getting Anna, Phil and Chase in trouble, but that didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was getting away from those creeps.

"Mod! Dad!" she gasped, making a run for the building, just as the bad guys reached the alley...

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Yeah, I know it's a cliffhanger, but if you've seen the movie this is based on, you'll know it all ends pretty happy. **

**Speaking of happy...I'm reaching the homestretch of my court case. I've put in six hours of community service, with two to go, and once I get that finished, I'll only have to pay for expired plates.**

**I spent a Saturday helping out with a "hard to recycle" event at my local recycling center. We recycled electronics, scrap metal, plastics, etc. I got an vintage orange iBook computer, a 3****rd**** generation iPod nano (which works great, BTW!), a digital camera, and an aluminum water bottle out of it! Not a bad haul for a day of community service!:)**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	11. Chapter 11

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This chapter was hard for me to write because of all the action that was involved in it. If it reads choppy, apologies in advance. But, we're one chapter closer to the end, so that's a good thing! LOL**

_**Chapter Eleven**_

Anna, Phil, and Chase rushed across the street, shouting Tempest's name. When they got to the toy store display, Anna glanced down and noticed the fallen helmet.

Chase was frantic. "I thought she'd be here!"

Anna bent down to pick up the helmet. "Guys, Temper's in trouble. Come on!" The three of them rushed down the street, and glanced up.

"Guys!" Chase exclaimed, pointing to the distance. "That's my dad's building!"

"Your Mod and Dad are at that party, right?" Phil asked.

"Yeah."

"Then Temper's probably there!" Anna exclaimed. "Let's go!"

~~~BABY~~~

Tempest managed to reach her dad's building just as the bad guys pulled up at the curb. The terrified little girl made it to the main entrance, which was a revolving door.

"Get back here!" Dreamer lunged for the little girl just as she tried to walk through, and grabbed the little Thor cape she had on over her coat. Tempest pushed as hard as she could, but the door wouldn't budge.

"_Let go!" _Tempest shouted, pushing the door hard enough to make it move. The little girl managed to slip through and escape, throwing Dreamer, who was holding her cape, back in the process. Snarling, Dreamer tossed the torn cape to the floor and shoved a janitor aside in his pursuit.

Tempest rushed to the bank of elevators and pressed a button. The elevator dinged, and the door slid open. Tempest slipped inside and pressed a couple of buttons. The doors slid closed just as Dreamer and the others reached them.

~~~BABY~~~

Breathing hard, Tempest exited the elevator onto a floor full of construction equipment. Obviously, renovation was taking place, judging by the sight of framework and pipes and unfinished walls. Nobody was around, and it was too quiet and spooky.

Tempest ventured out cautiously. "Mod? Dad?"

~~~BABY~~~

"Finally!" snarled Stevie, who had just joined his colleague (R-Truth was hanging back, waiting in the car). The elevator that Tempest had escaped in finally descended to the ground floor, and Dreamer and Stevie climbed in. They studied the floor numbers and saw chocolate smudges on two of them, Floors 42 and 44.

Stevie pressed the button for the 42nd floor. "I'll take this one, and you take the one above."

~~~BABY~~~

Outside, R-Truth waited until the elevator doors slid shut, and then stepped out of the car...

~~~BABY~~~

"Mod? Dad?" Tempest called out shakily, as she tread quietly across the unfinished floor. It didn't matter if she got in trouble at this point—what mattered was finding her parents so that she'd be safe from the bad guys.

"Hey, Kid!"

Tempest gasped and glanced over her shoulder. One of the bad guys had just stepped out of the elevator. Thankfully, he didn't see her, so she was able to duck behind a stack of boxes before the bad guy could see her.

"Come on out, Kid. I just need to get something from you," Dreamer called out, as he slunk across the construction site. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Tempest shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted an open window and a large spool of rope. She waited until the bad guy's footsteps faded before she grabbed an end of rope and headed for the window...

~~~BABY~~~

Stevie got out of the elevator on the 42nd Floor, his face a grim mask of determination. He had to get his magazine back, and if he had to hurt someone to get it...well, too bad.

~~~BABY~~~

"Tempest!"

"Temper, where are you?"

"_Tempest Irvine-Hardy!"_

Breathless and frantic, Anna, Chase, and Phil finally reached the building. Anna's heart sunk as she saw the now familiar Town Car. A brief look inside turned up nothing.

Anna shook her head. "I thought she'd be here!"

Chase looked over his shoulder at the entrance to the building. His face went pale. "That's Temper's cape," he gasped, rushing over to pick it up. "Guys, Temper's in trouble," he said, gesturing with his chin towards the building's revolving doors. "Come on!"

~~~BABY~~~

Back on the 44th floor, Tempest grabbed an end of rope and began to climb out the window.

"No! Stop!" Dreamer saw the little girl as she scurried out the window and down the building. Frantically, he rushed over. "Don't go out there! Hey kid, get back here." He reached the window in time to see Tempest disappear from sight.

He looked down at the little Thor fanatic in disbelief. "Hey kid, wait—oh, Judas Priest! Hey! Come on back up here!"

~~~BABY~~~

In the lobby, Anna, Chase, and Phil climbed into the elevator that Tempest was in. Phil frowned at the chocolate smudges on the buttons. "Which floor?"

Anna pressed button 42. "We'll try this one first."

_Don't look down! Don't look down! Don't look down! _Temper told herself as she carefully shinnied down the rope. _Maybe there's an open window and I can swing through-_

Her frantic thoughts were interrupted as she felt a sudden jerk on the rope. Tempest glanced up and squeaked in panic. The bad guy had the rope and was pulling her back up! In her panic, Tempest let go of the rope and felt herself sliding downward.

Screaming, Tempest slid down several windows before she came to a sudden stop. She glanced at her feet and sighed in relief. The side of the building she'd slid down was at an angle, and her feet had landed on a windowsill.

She glanced back up in time to see Dreamer toss the rope out the window and climb out after her. "Hey kid," he called out to her. "Stay right where you are. Don't move."

Shaking her head, Tempest moved to her left, to another window pane.

~~~BABY~~~

Back on the 42nd Floor, the kids exited the elevator and raced around the corner-

"No! Stop!" Chase hissed, before Anna and Phil could catch up.

Anna cocked her head. "What?"

"Look at all the people here!" Chase looked like he was about to throw up. "Oh God, we're at my parents' party!"

Phil saw something that drew his attention. He grabbed Anna by the hand and Chase by the coat collar and dragged them both over. "Coat closet. HIDE!"

The kids hid behind a rack of coats right against the wall (there were two racks of coats). Phil sighed. "What are we going to do?"

Anna's voice was firm. "I'm going out there to find Tempest."

Chase's eyes widened. "You can't go out there! My Mod and Dad'll see you!"

Thinking quickly, Anna grabbed a lush looking faux fur coat and threw it on. "No they won't. Stay right here. I'll be back."

Anna wove her way through the party. If anyone thought it was odd that a teenager in a fake fur coat with the collar turned up was walking around, nobody said anything. Anna took a sharp turn to her right-

"I'll be right back with the coats, Chris."

_Oh, crap! Mr. Irvine-Hardy! I almost ran into him! _Anna backed up and practically flattened herself against the corner to let Matt pass.

Back in the closet, Chase caught a glimpse of his dad. He practically shoved Phil into a dark corner of the coat closet, out of sight from anyone.

Anna continued her search-

"_I don't believe it!"_

_Oh, no! _Anna thought in horror. _Chris?!_ She dared to peek over the collar of the fake fur coat-

To her good fortune, Chris was on the other end of the room. "William Regal, right? Class of '99? I thought you'd gone back to England after you graduated..."

Sighing in relief, she ducked down behind a table full of hors d'oeuvres and let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. For a moment, she watched Chris converse briefly with his college schoolmate, and watched Matt return with his and his partner's coats. She wasn't aware of the footsteps until they were right behind her.

"Looking for something?"

Anna gasped and glanced up in shock. Stevie was staring down at Anna, who had lifted the tablecloth up so she could see. Judging from the look on Stevie's face, his intentions were not at all good...

"Oh, come on Matty. Just one more."

Chris's sudden appearance at the table took Anna and Stevie by surprise. Anna ducked back under the table, and Stevie was forced to step back to let him reach over and grab a few more appetizers. "My diet doesn't start until next week."

"Well, we told Anna one o'clock," Matt shrugged, and Stevie made eye contact with the Irvine-Hardys.

Chris smiled politely, assuming that Stevie was part of the catering staff. "Excuse me. Have you tried one of these? They're smoked salmon mini-pizzas."

Stevie shook his had. "Uh, I'm afraid not."

It was the distraction Anna needed. Glancing through the tablecloth, she spotted an extension cord that belonged to one of the warming plates on the table. Quickly and quietly, Anna unplugged the cord and wrapped it around Stevie's feet.

Chris handed Stevie one of the mini-pizzas. "These are fantastic." A pause. "I've got to get this recipe. Do you happen to know the name of the caterer?"

Not wanting to draw anymore suspicion than necessary, Stevie decided to humor Chris and eat the offered treat. "Mmmm. These are good! Uh, caterer, oh, uhmm..." his voice trailed off as he looked up and spotted Tempest out the window.

Matt chuckled. "We didn't mean to spring it on you like this, sir."

Chris cocked his head at a now distracted looking Stevie. "Are you alright? You look kinda sick."

By now, Anna's curiosity was piqued, and she followed Stevie's gaze. She turned white with panic. Even without the Thor helmet, she knew who was outside.

Stevie turned to leave. "Sorry. If you'll excuse me-" He took two steps before he tripped and fell hard on the floor, the result of the cord tied around his feet.

Chris and Matt helped him up. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?"

Matt dusted him off. "Did you hurt yourself?"

It was another distraction Anna needed. She rushed back to the coat closet and took the fake fur off. She dropped it on the floor. "Chase, Phil. We have to go. NOW! Temper's out the window!"

The two of them emerged from the sea of coats and followed Anna back to the elevators. Phil looked confused. "The window? How?"

"I don't know, but we have to get to her RIGHT NOW!"

~~~BABY~~~

"HELP!" Tempest shouted, cringing as Dreamer let go of the rope and moved to a window a few feet up from her...

~~~BABY~~~

Frantic and breathless, Anna, Anna, Phil, and Chase finally got to the 44th floor and glanced out the window.

Anna shouted at the little girl, "Tempest, just hold on okay? Don't be scared!" She turned to the two boys. "Phil, Chase loosen the rope!"

They didn't need to be told twice. Chase unwrapped a few more feet of rope off of the spool so that Phil could throw more of it out the window so Tempest could grab on.

"Tempest!" Anna shouted. "Grab the rope!"

~~~BABY~~~

Back on the 42nd Floor, Matt, Chris, and Regal were laughing about the spectacle they'd just seen.

"That guy took off without so much as a _Thank You," _Matt frowned, as Regal nodded in agreement. "What a lack of manners."

"That's the most exciting thing that's happened all night!" Chris chuckled, unaware that his daughter was outside on the window ledge grabbing the rope that was tossed down to her.

~~~BABY~~~

On the 44th Floor, Anna and the other kids were in the middle of a rescue.

Chase instructed his sister, "Okay, just take it really slow!" Carefully, and with a steel grip on the rope, the three of them pulled Tempest up. Chase saw the look of fear on his sister's face when she reached Dreamer and tried to reassure her. " Don't be scared of him Temper. Okay that's good. Don't look down. Okay, that's good. Keep walking. That's right. Just walk right by him. He's not even there."

Dreamer took a swipe at Tempest but missed (he was preoccupied with trying to hold on to his precarious foothold). Chase continued. "Hold on! All right, come on Tempest. All right, you're almost there. Hang on." Finally, she reached her older brother, who held his hands out. "Grab on!"

Tempest sighed in relief as she threw her arms around her big brother and he carried her inside. "Chase!"

Phil, and then Anna, were the next ones to hug the little girl. "Tempest! Are you okay?"

Tempest nodded, wearily. "Yeah. Can we go home now?"

"Not yet."

The kids turned around in surprise. R-Truth was standing in the doorway. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you, all right? I've been trying to keep these jokers away from you all night. I just need the Playboy."

Anna reached into Tempest's backpack and handed R-Truth the magazine. He flipped it open to the centerfold. "See this is what they were after," he explained, as Anna and Chase glared at a sheepish looking Phil. "Some notes and stuff. I guess it's pretty important..." R-Truth's voice trailed off as he studied the centerfold, and then glanced up at the babysitter.

Anna smirked. "Don't say it."

"Wow."

Phil chimed in, "Pretty strong resemblance, huh?"

R-Truth shook his head. "Nah, she doesn't even compare to you," he said. Anna took that as a compliment and grinned.

Chase glanced over to the window. "Well what about him? The dude hanging out the window?"

"Dude hanging out the window? Lemme see." R-Truth joined Chase at the window and glanced down at Dreamer, who was hanging on for dear life.

Dreamer shouted, "Help! Come on, Guys! Help me up."

"Oh yeah. Well...we'll let you hang for a while. You can sweat it out." R-Truth moved away from the window and ushered the kids out of the construction site, hearing a stream of curse words from outside.

Confident that he'd done what he'd promised, R-Truth accompanied the kids on their way to the elevators. But he wasn't prepared for who was around the corner.

"Oh, crap!" he gasped, nearly colliding with his boss.

Stevie had a cold, angry look on his face as he locked eyes with his driver. "Gimme the magazine, and leave." He paused, and cast a dangerous glance at the kids. "I'll take care of these brats."

"Okay," R-Truth shrugged, before he decked Stevie with a hard roundhouse right. Stevie crumpled to the floor, knocked completely out. The driver smirked and tossed the Playboy on top of Stevie's face. "Here's your magazine back."

Turning to Anna, he said, "You're right. Baby sitting is dangerous. Come on, let's get you guys home..."

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: WHEW! Glad this chapter's finished! Raise your hand if you think Stevie deserved the punch to the face. Anyway, I'm going to try and head out early today from work. I have a sore throat, and between writing this and doing work, I've had a lot taken out of me physically and emotionally. (Heads off to bed)**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	12. Chapter 12

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Not much to say in this chapter. It just wraps everything up in a nice big bow.:)**

_**Chapter Twelve**_

"_Yes! Finally!"_ AJ pumped her fists in relief as the Roadmaster zoomed towards the curb and screeched to a stop in front of the bus station. Daniel had left for his trip to Las Vegas after giving AJ his phone number and making her pinkie-promise to call him once she got home.

Chase threw the rear passenger door open and stepped out so that AJ could slide into the back seat between him and Phil. The older Irvine-Hardy climbed back in, and Anna pulled away from the curb before the car door slammed shut.

"About damn time you guys showed up!" AJ exclaimed. "Where've you been?"

"Long story," Anna sighed. "I'll explain everything later."

AJ snorted. "You'll never believe the night I had!"

"I can only imagine."

"Can you drop me off at my house? I gotta call Daniel and let him know I made it back okay."

Anna cocked her head. "Daniel? Who's Daniel?"

"Long story. I'll explain everything later."

~~~BABY~~~

_Finally!_ Anna thought as she steered the Roadmaster onto the highway. _Almost home! _Her thoughts were interrupted by a tiny voice in the passenger's seat:

"Anna! I lost my skate! It's not in my backpack!"

"Maybe you left it someplace," Anna said kindly, her eyes on the road.

Tempest was frantic as she pawed through her bag. "Anna, we gotta go back and find it."

"No, Temper, honey, we can't," Anna admonished her, gently.

Tempest sighed and dropped her bag on the floor. "I can't believe I lost my skate," she mouthed.

In the back seat AJ was resting her head on Phil's shoulder. A cheeky grin crossed Phil's face as he tried to lift AJ's jacket to have a look underneath it...

...Until AJ opened her eyes and smacked his hand. "Watch it, Pal!" she hissed, fixing Phil with a look that could peel paint.

The drive was uneventful until Anna spotted a familiar shape in front of her. Anna pointed to it. "Chase, Temper…that's not your parents car is it?"

Tempest glanced over and gasped. "Yes it is!"

Chase was frantic. "Yes it is! What are we gonna do?"

Anna thought for a moment. "Everybody duck!"

They all lowered their heads, and Anna floored it.

The Roadmaster went flying past the Irvine-Hardys' car, and the kids raised their heads after they were way ahead of them on the highway.

Anna asked, "Chase, how fast do your parents drive?"

"About...45, 50?"

"We'll go 80. Hang on! AJ, I'm afraid I can't drop you off. We're in too much of a hurry..."

~~~BABY~~~

In the passenger's side of the Irvine-Hardys' car, Chris watched in wide-eyed disgust as the station wagon zoomed past them. "Matty! Look at that lunatic. You know Chase and Temper are going to be driving soon and they're going to be on the road with people like that."

Matt sighed. "They're not getting a driver's license until they're 40."

~~~BABY~~~

The Roadmaster screeched to a stop in front of the Irvine-Hardys' garage, and the kids spilled out of the car and into the house.

Anna barked orders. "Okay, Chase, Temper, Phil, upstairs and into your pajamas!"

Phil bounded up the stairs behind Chase and Tempest. "I don't have any pajamas here."

"I don't care, just go upstairs! AJ, go home!"

"Not yet! I'll help you clean up," AJ said, following Anna down the hall into the kitchen. "Least I can do!"

Anna tossed her jacket over one of the chairs and began cleaning up the mess in the kitchen. AJ pitched in, putting things back in the fridge and wiping down the counters. Anna ran the garbage disposal and put dishes in the dishwasher.

AJ wrung out the sponge she was using and put it in the sink, just as the the Irvine-Hardys pulled up into the driveway. "They're here! I know I owe you big time-"

"You certainly do, AJ! Now go! "

AJ rushed out the back door. "Thanks again! I'll call you tomorrow." She rushed back to her own house and found the hide-a-key in the backyard. She unlocked the door and slipped inside. Her dad and stepmom would never know she snuck out.

~~~BABY~~~

Anna flopped down on the couch in the living room grabbed the TV remote and pulled a throw over herself just as the front door opened. She pretended to be dozing in front of an episode of _Coast Guard Alaska _ when the Irvine-Hardys entered the room.

She pretended to stretch and wake up. "Oh, hi."

"Hey Anna," Matt greeted her. "Sorry we're late."

"Oh that's okay."

"Any problems?" Chris asked, as he hung his coat up.

"No, not really. Well, Chase stayed home and Phil's sleeping over."

Chris chuckled. "Phil? What a nightmare for you."

Anna smiled knowingly. "Yeah."

~~~BABY~~~

Anna, now back in her coat, entered Chase's room, where he, Tempest and Phil were watching a scary movie. She picked up the remote and muted the TV. She grinned and sat down at the foot of Chase's bed.

Chase sat up. "So, how'd it go?"

"Everything is cool," Anna said, as the kids sighed in relief.

"Anna," Tempest asked. "Can we do this again next Friday?"

"Oh, Temper. Um, I think I'm retired."

"Oh come on, you gotta sit for me again."

Anna thought for a moment. "We'll see, okay?" she offered as Tempest nodded and smiled.

Chase glanced down at the floor, and then glanced over at his crush. "Anna, I know that Seniors don't normally hang out with Sophomores. So if I see you around school and I say Hi and you ignore me as usual it's okay."

"I don't ignore friends, Chase," she reassured him, and shared a smile with the older Irvine-Hardy.

Phil was the next to say something. "Anna, I'd just like to say thanks for giving me what is probably the best night of my life..." he paused, grinning. "So far."

Chase nodded. "Me too."

Tempest chimed in with her own, "Me too."

Anna pondered for a moment. Tonight _had_ been a lot of fun. Dangerous, crazy, harrowing, heartbreaking...but she couldn't help but smile at the memories. "Me too. Alright, group hug everyone..."

~~~BABY~~~

After some cordial chat, the Irvine Hardys saw Anna to the front door. They sent her off with a couple of twenties and a lot of thank-yous. Before Anna was able to head back to her car, someone else appeared at the doorstep.

It took Anna a moment to recognize him. "Hi!"

Jay—the Good Samaritan from the frat party—stood on the porch, holding Tempest's missing skate. "I thought the little girl might be missing this. I saw the _If Found_ tag on it and looked up the address."

"She must have left it at Menchie's," Anna chimed in.

Chris took the offered skate. "Thanks. You know, I'm kinda hoping she loses those skates. She uses them in the house, and it drives me crazy. Thanks again."

"You're welcome." Jay paused. "I'll walk the young lady to her car."

Once the front door was shut, Jay escorted Anna to the Roadmaster. Anna noticed Jay's vehicle parked behind hers. "You came all the way out here just to return a skate?"

Jay stopped in front of Anna's vehicle. "Actually I was…"

"Oh…oh you came for the money. I've got my checkbook in my purse, and..."

"No, no, no," Jay chuckled, and then smiled. "I'm looking for a babysitter."

Anna laughed. She and Jay were now standing very close to each other, and Anna couldn't help but notice how handsome Jay was, and how nice he smelled. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I think tonight was my last job."

Jay sounded genuinely disappointed. "Really? That's too bad."

"Who was the baby sitter for?"

Jay paused and his eyes twinkled. "Me."

"That's a heck of a pickup line." Anna let a slow smile play across her lips as Jay wrapped his arms around her. "Maybe I can come out of retirement one more time-"

"_Hey! Kiss him!"_

Startled, Anna and Jay glanced up to see Chase, Tempest, and Phil watching from an open window upstairs. Anna and Jay looked at them for a moment, and then busted up laughing.

"Guys!" Anna exclaimed, after she managed to stop laughing. _"Go to bed!"_

Laughing, the kids ducked back inside. Chase was the only one left. He watched his crush...make that his friend, now...wrapped in Jay's arms, and nodded. _Yeah, it's more fun being a friend, _he decided, as he closed the window and the blinds.

As Jay reached up to cup Anna's cheek and kiss her gently, Anna decided that yeah...this was the best night of her life.

**THE END**

_After the credits:_

"Yeah!" Daniel laughed (he was on his cell phone talking to AJ). "You wouldn't believe it. We drove past that building, and I coulda swore I saw some guy hanging from the windows! Dead serious. Yeah. There were fire trucks there and everything. Some jumper, I don't know. Glad you made it home. Hey, don't spike your stepmom's Diet Pepsi, okay? You promise me, okay? I'll call you when I get to Vegas. Yeah. It was fun. Talk to you later..."

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: YAAY! FINISHED! Stay tuned for more stuff from me. **

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


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